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Commissioner Strain and LDAF celebrate Ag Day 2011

Commissioner Strain and LDAF celebrate Ag Day 2011
Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., unveiled the new “Fresh, Local and Grown Bayou” logo today at Ag Day festivities at the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry building in Baton Rouge .
Ag Day honors the men, women and businesses of the farming communities across the state. The “Fresh, Local and Grown Bayou” logo was designed by Jeffrey Johnson of Clinton , Miss. and will be used to promote statewide “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” marketing efforts. Johnson, of LSU, won a contest for state college art students and was presented a $1,000 check for his winning entry. “The ‘Fresh, Local and Grown Bayou’ is a clever play on words and will be available to promote our wonderful local food products,” Strain said. “We grow so many quality products in Louisiana — strawberries, citrus, crawfish, Creole tomatoes — and the ‘Fresh, Local and Grown Bayou’ will be another way to let consumers know the food they are buying and eating is grown right here in Louisiana.” Strain said Louisiana has experienced unprecedented growth and investment in agriculture during the last two years. “A new $10 million rice mill will be constructed in Mer Rouge,” Strain said. “It’s the first rice mill to be built in northeast Louisiana . This underscores how important agriculture is in Louisiana because our rice industry is expanding.” Strain said the Elton Kennedy Rice Mill is the latest agricultural project in a number of recent large economic development projects. “CongAgra Lamb Weston’s $155 million sweet potato processing plant near Delhi went online just in time for the sweet potato harvest,” Strain said. “DG Foods’ $10 million chicken processing plant in Bastrop is in development and a new bio-refinery in Lake Providence will manufacture sussinnic acid with sorghum and carbon dioxide.” Sussinnic acid is used in the production of polymers, fibers, detergents and flavors. “Ag is booming in Louisiana . There has been an unprecedented investment in ag processing in the state and Louisiana increased its exports by 15 percent last year with agriculture leading the way.” Strain cited other recent agricultural developments in the state: - Louis Dreyfus Commodities will invest more than $100 million in the grain elevator facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge . - a new high-speed rail grain loading facility will be built in the Lacassine Industrial Park . - Louisiana Sugar Refining’s $190 million sugar mill in Gramercy should begin operations in 2011 - Point Bio Energy’s plant in Port Allen will produce more than 400,000 tons of wood pellets for use as bioenergy.
- Bruce Foods of Iberia Parish expanded in 2010 and created 43 new jobs. - Zagis USA’s cotton spinning mill in Lacassine is the first new cotton mill to be built in Louisiana in decades. “Agriculture is the basis of all wealth,” Strain said. “Investment in value-added agricultural commodities will attract jobs and enable our farmers to compete in a larger market allowing them to realize better margins.”