More than 60 Oklahoma Farm Bureau members learned about the spicy, savory and sweet Louisiana agriculture industry during the 2024 OKFB Ag Tour May 6-9 to Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.
The tour featured two days of stops and visits to farms, agribusinesses and cultural destinations in southwest Louisiana near Lafayette.
Members arrived on Monday, May 6, with a welcome dinner and meeting with Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau members and leaders at the parish Farm Bureau office. The local Farm Bureau planned the tour stops for OKFB members with numerous visits at local Farm Bureau members’ farms and ranches.
The first full day of visits kicked off on Tuesday, May 7, with a tour of the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station. OKFB members learned about the class-leading rice breeding program the station has developed over decades along with an overview of the Louisiana rice industry. Members toured the research farm where they saw rice in various stages of growth along with crawfish ponds where the station studies integrated rice and crawfish agricultural production programs.
Tuesday afternoon featured tours of local farms including a stop at a sugar cane field farmed by Vermilion Parish County Farm Bureau President Bryan Simon, who showed OKFB members farm equipment used in sugar cane production along with an overview of the crop’s growing season.
OKFB members heard from rancher Raymond Fontenot of Crescent Bar F who raises grass-finished beef that he sells directly to area chefs for use in their restaurants. The Duhon family showed OKFB members the heart of their haying operation where they take round hay bales and re-bale and bundle them into small square bales for sale around the region.
The evening featured a tour of L’Terre at Live Oak Plantation, a 6000-acre farm that includes managed marshlands, rice and crawfish fields, cattle and hay production. OKFB members had the opportunity to see the marshlands from atop airboats and had the opportunity to see the alligators that call L’Terre home.
After a crawfish boil dinner, Farm Bureau members learned about alligator farming and conservation, which work hand-in-hand to preserve a wild population in the area while raising alligators commercially for a wide variety of beneficial purposes.
Wedesday, May 8, kicked off at Avery Island at the Tabasco Factory Tour and Museum where OKFB members learned about the history of Tabasco, the peppers that are raised for the internationally known hot sauce and the personal details of the McIlhenny family, who has been at the helm of the company for generations.
The next stop took members to the Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative, or LASUCA, in St. Martinville. Members learned how sugar cane that is grown around the region is milled into sugar for consumers around the country and beyond. John Hebert, LASUCA ag division manager, showed OKFB members sugar cane harvesting equipment and discussed the cooperative’s custom harvesting operation and shared that once sugar cane harvest begins in late fall, harvesters run, rain or shine, to keep the coop’s mill running throughout the harvest season.
OKFB members visited the Houmas House Plantation on the banks of the Mississippi River near Darrow where the toured the historic home and gardens. A tour guide walked members through the home and shared information about the property’s history, its residents and the role the plantation played throughout the area’s history.
The 2024 Ag Tour culminated in a visit to the Louisiana Farm Bureau headquarters in Baton Rouge where LAFB staff and leaders hosted a dinner and took OKFB members on a tour of the organization’s new building. State board members Allen McClain and Richard Fortenot along with LAFB Assistant to the President Kyle McCann welcomed members to the office and shared how their organization represents Louisiana farmers and ranchers.
Throughout the tour, OKFB members enjoyed a wide variety of local food at several meals featuring crawfish, oysters, shrimp, crab and more.
The OKFB Ag Tour is an annual bus tour for OKFB members that helps expand their agricultural horizons and experience through tours and cultural experiences. The 2024 event was the first fully out-of-state Ag Tour. The 2025 tour is currently being planned for a region in Oklahoma.
To view the 2024 Ag Tour Photo Gallery, CLICK HERE.
