Louisiana Agritourism: Time to Buy Plants at Spring Fest

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Time to Buy Plants at Spring Fest

Northeast Louisiana Master Gardeners will present Spring Fest 2016 and the eighth annual spring plant sale at the West Monroe Farmers Market from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on April 16.

LSU AgCenter horticulture agent Kerry Heafner said the sale will feature Louisiana Super Plants, vegetables, herbs, houseplants, tropical plants, flowing vines, flowering trees, butterfly garden plants, ornamental shrubs, shade garden plants and wildflowers.

The sale is a good place to find selections of plants not usually found locally, he said.

“Local Master Gardeners will be available to help you select the best plants for your yard and garden, answer questions, provide gardening tips and even help load your car,” he said.

A preview sale will be held on April 15 from noon to 6 p.m. for those who want to get started early.

The West Monroe Farmers Market is located at 1700 N. Seventh St. For additional information, contact Heafner at 318-323-2251.

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Agritourism Law Limits Liability

In 2008, the Louisiana Legislature expanded the limitation of liability found in La R.S. 9:2795 et seq to include certain agritourism activities. The legislation authored by Representative Andy Anders and Senators Francis Thompson and Mike Walsworth provides that the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Foresty (LDAF) will develop a set of rules and regulations and that the LSU AgCenter will define a “plan of operation” for an agritourism venture and review those plans.

More about this law can be found on the LSU AgCenter Web site: www.lsuagcenter.com/agritourism

2012 Agriculture Census Shows Increase in Farming

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2014 –There are now 3.2 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Once every five years, farmers, ranchers and growers have the unique opportunity to let the world know how U.S. agriculture is changing, what is staying the same, what’s working and what we can do differently,” said Dr. Cynthia Clark, the retiring head of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, which administered the survey.

Eighty-seven percent of all U.S. farms are operated by families or individuals.
Principal operators were on average 58.3 years old and were predominantly male; second operators were slightly younger and most likely to be female; and third operators were younger still.
In Louisiana agritourism grew from 170 farms in 2007 to 361 farms in 2012.
In Louisiana onfarm agritourism sales jumped from $2,486 to $8,996 in 2012.
In Louisiana the definition of agritourism is broader than the definition in the census; meaning that numbers are greater.