By: CARISSA HEBERT

Managing Editor

The Ville Platte Gazette received recognition at the 86th annual Louisiana Farm Bureau convention for the second year in a row, along with KVPI, for its coverage of farming news in Evangeline Parish.

David Ortego, publisher, said, “I’m extremely pleased by being honored to this degree from Louisiana Farm Bureau. Farming has always been a very important part of our economy and the economy of our community. Going forward, farming is an important asset to this area. We are pleased as an organization to help promote agriculture.”

Among those honored at the convention in New Orleans was Bobby LaHaye of Ville Platte and the local Farm Bureau office.

LaHaye was a finalist in the Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Ag Award for his use of farming technology in Evangeline Parish. LaHaye was one of three finalists for this award. He faced farmers from Lafayettte and Livingston parishes. Bill Doiron from Livingston Parish was the state finalist.

The parish’s Farm Bureau was recognized as a four-star agency through The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Recognition and Awards Program, which is designed to recognize parish Farm Bureaus for outstanding program achievements which involve leaders and members in programs to meet the needs of farmers today and tomorrow.

The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest organization representing farmers and ranchers. It is a private, nonprofit, non-governmental agency established in 1922 to bring a voice to agricultural issues. Through a unified voice, the Farm Bureau speaks on behalf of farmers and ranchers at the local, state and national level. By garnering input from farmers and ranchers on specific issues, Farm Bureau attempts to influence legislation that will enable Louisiana and American agriculture to feed a growing world. The Louisiana Farm Bureau is part of the American Farm Bureau Federation, which was established in 1919, and is today the nation’s largest general farm and ranch organization. The Louisiana Farm Bureau has a membership of nearly 125,000 and includes farmers, ranchers, landowners, agricultural lenders and others who have a vested interest in the future and prosperity of Louisiana agriculture.