Commissioner Mike Strain delivered the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s annual presentation to the House Agriculture Committee on April 30, outlining a broad set of near‑term pressures and programs affecting state agriculture: international trade and tariffs, federal funding pauses, commodity prices, processing capacity and disease threats.

Strain told members that early executive‑branch changes at the federal level have paused or delayed several USDA funding streams and local purchase programs; he said the pause on local food purchases equated to roughly $16–$18 million over three years and that reimbursement delays to conservation district technicians (NRCS cooperative reimbursements) had left the department awaiting about three months of reimbursement at roughly $150,000 per month. He said federal funding mechanisms that previously helped expand processing capacity (a post‑pandemic federal round to retrofit processing plants) had expired and would require new appropriations.

On processing and inspection, Strain repeated LDAF’s explanation of inspection tiers: federally inspected plants (USDA standards; product can enter interstate and export commerce), state‑inspected plants (state inspectors; intrastate distribution), and custom‑exemption plants (small facilities where product typically returns to the owner; limited on‑site retail or restaurant service allowed but broader commerce restricted). He provided counts and estimates: about 32 custom‑exemption plants (23 performing slaughter) and 15 state‑inspected slaughter plants in Louisiana. Strain reiterated cost and infrastructure figures: mobile USDA‑approved slaughter units roughly $250,000–$300,000; a state plant $5–$10 million; a federal plant $15–$20 million. He also emphasized that federal inspection is fully funded by USDA while state inspection is cost‑shared (USDA pays roughly 50% of state inspection cost).

Strain addressed consolidation and capacity risks in the national processing sector, saying the top four companies process an outsized share of U.S. beef and that past plant closures have caused severe supply disruptions. He said federal efforts to diversify processing capacity have been undertaken but remain an ongoing policy challenge.

Disease and biosecurity were central. Strain reviewed avian influenza and its continuing impacts: he said the recent outbreak had caused large national losses in poultry (he referenced a multi‑million‑bird loss figure during the recent years) and that the disease is now considered endemic in wild birds in some regions, which complicates prevention. He described the particular concern for milk production after the virus mutated to affect cattle in some areas: the virus has been found in milk and in mammary glands in affected herds, and some affected cows lose productive capacity and may later be culled. He noted that human cases remain limited and mostly mild but urged continued surveillance and vaccine research.

On pests, Strain described the department’s unwanted pesticide collection program (which has picked up about 850,000 pounds of obsolete or unwanted pesticides across the state) and LDAF’s work on invasive species (feral hog research and development of a toxicant under EPA review, research on Giant Salvinia biological control, and scale‑control work to protect coastal vegetation). He also raised concerns about foreign investment and ownership trends, including farmland purchases and acquisition of agricultural processors by foreign companies in some cases.

Strain summarized commodity and market data: he cited movements in corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton, discussed fertilizer and natural‑gas price linkages (natural gas prices affect fertilizer costs and can swing rapidly), and highlighted port and export infrastructure projects meant to preserve Louisiana’s role in global grain and food trade. He also gave an overview of aquaculture growth in the state (more than 600,000 acres of combined oyster and crawfish production) and reiterated the economic significance of sugar and timber for the state.

Committee members asked technical and policy questions on processing capacity, export markets, pesticide disposal, imported seafood testing, and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer. On CWD, Strain clarified testing and quarantine steps after positive cases in pen‑raised animals: trace‑forwards were conducted, three trace‑forward animals tested positive and were euthanized, affected breeder and hunt pens are under five‑year quarantine and subject to progressive testing, and LDAF is running a genetic testing program to identify breeding bucks with inherent resistance traits for longer‑term herd management.

Strain also said some federal inspection and testing programs have not met planned inspection coverage for imported foods; LDAF is piloting laboratory tests for some imported seafood and expects federal legislation and funding to be necessary for broader testing capacity.

The presentation reflected immediate operational concerns (paused federal reimbursements and lab/testing gaps) and longer‑term strategic themes (diversifying processing capacity, building export infrastructure, and research on disease mitigation). Members thanked the commissioner for the briefing and pressed for continued coordination between LDAF, the LSU AgCenter and federal partners.

No formal committee action beyond questions and the LDAF update was taken during the presentation.