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The LSU AgCenter will sponsor a meeting for landowners, farmers and producers located in Washington, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes, who sustained damage from Hurricane Ida. The meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 16, at the Tangipahoa Parish Fairgrounds in Amite.

Forest landowners will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m., followed by agricultural and livestock producers at 6:30 p.m. This is an outdoor meeting with social distancing and masks with a maximum of 50 participants. Please email wwallace@agcenter.lsu.edu to secure your spot.

LSU AgCenter Forestry and Wildlife Agent, Whitney Wallace says the biggest economic impact is likely to be to agricultural infrastructure and timber.

After Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 29, the AgCenter quickly began to assess the damage caused to the agriculture and forestry industry in the state.

Wallace said the AgCenter has been partnering with LDAF to help assess a numerical value to the timber damage in the southeast portion of the state. During her assessments, she has met numerous producers and landowners who have reported significant timber loss, downed fences and livestock without water after sustaining damage to water sources and loss of power.

“As agricultural producers move into recovery mode and assess damages, it is important that they receive up-to-date information on recovery and recovery programs available from State and Federal agencies,” Wallace said. “The AgCenter is here to be a resource during a time of need for our agricultural producers. That is why we are scheduling a meeting presentation that will include experts from the AgCenter and representatives from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, NRCS and FSA to help guide producers through this difficult time.”

For more information, call 985-748-9381 or email Wallace at wwallace@agcenter.lsu.edu. It is the policy of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service that no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age or disability.