Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.

The farm Bill is up for renewal after being stalled in Congress for the past three years.

I'll bring you an update and a big honor for Southern University's nursing school.

We'll see why it was named the best in the nation.

February is Early Childhood Education Month, and we'll look at whether our state is setting up the next generation for success and its Super Bowl weekend.

The Crescent City Victor Howell takes us inside the NFL Super Bowl experience.

Let's get started.

Let's do it.

Hello everyone.

I'm Karen LeBlanc and I'm Dorothea Wilson.

Much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana, the State We're In.

But first, as the 119th Congress convenes, Louisiana farmers are optimistic that lawmakers will finally pass the outdated U.S. farm bill with updates, which is up for renewal and has been stalled in Congress for the past three years.

I had to Evangeline Parish, a major producer of rice and soybeans, to speak with Louisiana farmers about the consequences of cultivating commodity crops without a federal safety net that accounts for the current cost of production.

Richard Forno is a fourth generation farmer.

I'm 4000 acres of land in Evangeline Parish.

He farms soybeans, rice and crawfish.

He's gearing up for the crawfish season and expects a hearty crop of crawdads.

This was in rice this past year.

Harvested in the fall.

Flooded back open in October.

And this spring, we're going to start the crawfish harvest.

The field behind us is going to be is a rotational piece field that we're going to do the same thing this year with Justin Alter alternating each year with the crop.

Rice is one of several commodity crops with protections in the US farm bill under a program tied to reference prices.

These are preset price levels for certain commodities that trigger government support payments to farmers.

When market prices fall below certain thresholds.

They're part of the price loss coverage program, which helps stabilize farm income and protect against price volatility.

Farmers are operating under outdated reference prices because the farm bill has been stalled in Congress for the past three years.

It's up for a vote and updates to its policies and prices and practices every five years.

But farmers are feeling the pinch because everything all the inputs up went up.

But the price they receive is not what happens if that farmer cannot cash flow.

Then he's got to end up either, either just shutting the farm down or selling a farm, and then who buys it?

And what happens after that?

Congress passed the most recent farm bill in 2018.

The omnibus legislation covers broad topic areas called titles agriculture relies on the first title of the farm Bill.

There's 11 titles in total, but the one that it all started with was price support, not direct payments.

Not just mailbox money.

But this is a floor, an investment in our food security, to make sure that if things out of the farmers control, whether it be market conditions, worldwide markets, whether, you know, just natural disasters that farmers don't have control over, they have, some government backing.

And that helps keep all of our food and shelter and fiber, all those necessities, more of a stable price.

Louisiana agriculture has a lot at stake with the farm bill as one of the nation's largest producers of cotton, sugar cane, rice, sweet potatoes, and pecans.

The state is also a major producer of soybean and corn.

That's the disadvantage we're faced in the fact that we have a farm bill with the safety net, if you will, that doesn't have true reflections of cost of operations and dynamics that we've we battle here in agriculture.

So the safety net component of it needs some work.

And we hope that Congress can look at it revamping that in the years to come.

Has it presented any financial challenges for you personally?

When we sit down with our lenders each year and we do a cash flow projection, and we used, the safety net in our dynamics of financial planning on our risk management, if you will.

The farm bill is an integral part of that.

And the fact of the farm bill is not available.

It's not actuarially sound.

Our lending institutions are a little more reluctant, given a, say, crop loan to put a crop in in certain sectors in Louisiana, a little more critical and more sensitive in the crop rotations.

And I got some friends in the northern part of state that that without a equitable farm bill, they're not going to get a loan in 2025 for most corn farmers, they've lost money for three years in a row.

And the bankers are saying, look, this is your last shot.

You've got to get back into profitability or else or else no more form loans.

Were concerned that this year they may not have profitability.

The first farm bill was passed in 1933, when farmers nationwide asked the federal government for support to sustain farming and for protection from foreign markets.

Farm Bureau serves as the collective voice, an advocate for farmers, and is working with lawmakers to update the farm bill and get it passed in the 119th Congress.

We'd like to see increases, in reference prices in those programs.

We'd like to see some more investment into crop insurance.

That's another safety net tool, but it's not very affordable.

It's not very nimble in terms of, the crops that we grow in Louisiana versus other parts of the country.

The biggest piece, I think, is important, even more so now under the Trump administration and what they're doing with tariffs and trade.

We have to get back to helping the price side as well, that that world market price for these commodities.

And the only way to do that is to invest in trade and trade relationships and promoting American farm products worldwide.

So we'd like to see some investment, in some programs there.

We have a lot of forestry in parts of the state, but we also have a lot of grain in the northeast part.

And you get to my area, we have rice, crawfish and other commodities.

But in the end of the day, we all rule Louisiana and we all rely on trade.

We'll rely on selling goods, growing goods, selling.

At the end of the day, the farm bill helps mediate that unbalanced trade practice that you hear different folks talking about.

And the fact that I can't freely take my rice, that I grow and sell it anywhere.

I have some trade barriers in place due to government regulation, and the farm bill have offset that and kind of balanced and negotiated those prices.

So we're treated fairly across the board.

The bulk of the farm bill funding goes to nutrition programs, including Snap, a federal entitlement program that provides food for low income families, commodity programs, crop insurance and conservation programs comprise a much smaller percentage of the farm bill funding.

Are you concerned that the reference price correction is down and get lost in the politicizing of the Snap program?

Yes, it all gets tied in together on a political airwaves.

But the truth is, and there's been a lot of discussion separate the two.

Many people are afraid will never pass the commodities section if we don't tie it in to the snap section.

But I think it's time they stand on their own, up or down.

Okay.

And let's go ahead and get it done.

In the coming weeks, Richard will cede his land for soybean and rice crops.

At the time of our interview, neither the House nor the Senate has brought its version of the farm bill up for a vote according to their LSU accent.

Or for every dollar in agriculture, we turn it over seven times in agriculture.

So if you look at in terms of nuclear, so we got seven ranks that we took outside of of our immediate production agriculture, whether it be the guard at the mechanic shop or the guy that's buying the seed, chemical fertilizer, fuel, or is the bank and the lenders, all those different players are part of agriculture and they're part of the heart of Roseanna.

And that is why it is critical we protect that component.

The state health department has issued a recall after 15 people got sick from eating contaminated oysters.

The oysters were all harvested from area three, which is east of Lake Bourne.

Now, people got sick with a norovirus like symptoms after eating oysters at several restaurants in the New Orleans area.

Oysters are filter feeders, which means they can sometimes absorb contaminants from the water harvest area.

Now, area three is closed until state health officials determine if the oysters are once again safe to eat.

And on to some good news.

Now, Southern University School of Nursing has earned a huge honor.

It was recently named the top nursing program in the United States.

I spoke with the head of the nursing school for a closer look at this well-deserved achievement and what it means for health care and Louisiana.

The Southern University School of Nursing has recently been recognized as the best nursing school in the U.S. at the nurse.org Best of Nursing Awards, this annual initiative honors and celebrates dedication and excellence in the nursing profession.

Winners are selected by members of the nursing community, including nurses, students, and professors.

Southern University notes that this is the first time in the program's 39 year history that it has received the title of Best Nursing School.

Staff members like Doctor Sandra Brown, dean of Southern's nursing School, could not be more proud.

Best nursing program in the United States.

How does that feel?

Amazing, amazing.

And to God be all the glory, right?

Because all of this would never have been possible without him and his grace.

Doctor Brown says that much of the program's success is largely due to the school's perseverance and commitment to its students.

Now, how does a program get to be the best in the United States?

What does it take?

What are you doing?

What's the secret sauce?

It's not just one thing here, okay?

It's a combination of several things.

One, the students that we have, that are admitted to our program, many of them come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

And so it takes, dedicated faculty to be able to teach students who come to our program with unfinished learning.

And, they have to craft their approach.

They have to be relatable.

They have to be motivational.

And by the same token, the students have to do their part.

So I that is the combination, the secret sauce, having the students who are committed and want to be here and want to learn, and the faculty who know how to teach the students that we at MIT Southern University School of Nursing is recognized for its success with students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The nursing programs offered by the school are nationally acclaimed and produced.

Many first generation college graduates.

In fact, they are the leading producers of African American nurses in this state and among the top three producers in the nation.

Innovative tools like the Jag mobile, a 38ft long mobile health clinic providing outreach services to underserved communities, along with advanced on campus facilities that replicate a real hospital environment, set the program apart and ensure students gain in-depth, real world experiences that prepare them for careers in nursing.

We also very honored to have one and only, mobile health unit in the state of Louisiana called the Jag mobile.

It was named after our Jaguar, and it's a fully equipped mobile unit on wheels with two examination rooms and telehealth capabilities that we can actually, a patient can be seen by a health care provider who is in a remote location.

And so we're able to provide comprehensive health care services and screening two very targeted zip code areas that or underserved and have health inequities and health disparities.

Now, I see it after speaking to you today, I see why you all are the best in the nation.

Congratulations, doctor.

Thank you.

The other nominees for Best Nursing School included the Emory University School of Nursing, Florida State University, College of Nursing, University of Michigan School of Nursing, and University of Washington School of Nursing.

Well done.

Southern.

You make Louisiana proud.

February is early education month in Louisiana.

It's designed to raise awareness for the need for affordable, quality education for young children.

I sat down with Doctor Libby Senior from the Louisiana Policy Institute for children to talk about how early childhood education affects not just children and their families, but also the state's economy.

February is early ad month, and it is a designation by Governor Jeff Landry to call attention across Louisiana to the importance of early childhood education and its benefits to all Louisianans.

And joining me now, we have our in-house expert doctor, Libby Sonnier.

She is CEO of Louisiana Policy Institute for children.

Thank you so much for joining us here today.

Thanks so much for having me.

So let's start by explaining the mission of your organization.

Sure.

So the Louisiana Policy Institute for children is a nonpartisan, a nonprofit squarely focused on children birth to age four in our state.

And what we fundamentally believe is that a stronger Louisiana starts with successful children.

So tell me how this idea of early ad month came about?

Sure.

So our founders started early AD Week back in 2017, and then as as things have come along and we've been able to garner more and more funding and really, our business community and our elected officials to really understand the importance of early care in education.

We transitioned from a week now to a month.

And so this is our fourth year as a month.

And it's really an opportunity for our elected officials and our business leaders to see why early education fundamentally is an economic development issue as well as a workforce issue.

And if we want to send our children on to a successful trajectory, it starts when they're young.

So what is the messaging this month?

So the messaging is, is that if we want a labor participation rate to be where we want it to be, we have to invest in early care and education.

So much so that the Louisiana Association for Business and Industry, as we all call it, lobby, our state chamber is co-hosting the month with us.

And so it's really about the importance of Louisiana education and early childhood education to our economic backbone and our workforce and our economy in the state.

So let's break that down.

Where is there room for improvement?

Well, there's a lot of room for improvement.

And we know through research that we've done at the Louisiana Policy Institute for children that we lose approximately $1.3 billion annually due to childcare breakdowns.

And what does that mean?

That means that we don't have a reliable workforce.

It means that parents are having to miss work because they don't have access to quality early care and education.

It also means that our Louisiana businesses are losing approximately $762 million annually themselves.

And so this isn't small potatoes.

This is big money to a state that we are rich in culture, but we are finite in resources, and we can't afford to lose that money.

And so we really need to ensure that our working parents, our parents that are going to school, have access to quality early childhood education.

So at the policy level, what can the state do?

So the state's done a lot of things over the last few years.

They've invested heavily and in early childhood education, we went from zero state dollars to up to $77 million in the last six years.

And so there's been increased investment in early education.

What we've also done at the state level is create an early childhood education fund, which is increasingly important because that fund, if there's a dollar in that fund and a local raises a dollar, there's a dollar for dollar match.

And we have to really engage our business leaders in it, because at the end of the day, it's not just all of the federal government's responsibility or the state or the local government or the families.

We have to share responsibility to ensure that we do have a successful Louisiana that starts with our children.

So that brings me to the obvious question what can businesses do?

What role did they have to play?

The businesses really have a unique opportunity because we are always having discussions with our business leaders across the state about how do we retain and really recruit talent into the state, and the very talent we need are the are the people that are having young children.

We're really fortunate at the state level.

We have a school readiness tax credit that allows businesses to donate a certain amount and get a portion of that back.

We need more businesses to be able to donate for a child care seed.

And so we're thinking about creative ways with our secretary of Workforce, with it, with our governor's office, with our Department of Education, and with LED about how do we make this critical infrastructure investment across the spectrum.

Where does Louisiana rank on the metrics as they pertain to early education?

Well, I have some good news.

We are in the top 20 in the country.

Related to accountability.

So one of the things we continue to ask is, how do we know our public dollars are going after good when they're public dollars to go after?

And so in Louisiana, our accountability system for early childhood education again is in the top 20 in the country.

And that's because we've done a lot of good things.

We've unified where early education is within our state.

It's within our department of Education, which makes a lot of sense because it's education.

We've unified the credentials for our early educators.

We've unified curriculum and early learning development standards.

We have done a lot of really, really good things, and we're heralded with how we've set up our early childhood education fund.

Doctor.

Libby.

Sonya.

Thank you so much for coming to the studios to share your message.

And of course, we are happy to share the message of early Ed month, the month of February with our viewers as well.

Thank you so much.

We have another special film screening coming up next weekend in Baton Rouge.

Bike vessel is about a man who survived three open heart surgeries and discovered a passion for cycling.

The filmmaker, his son, came up with an epic journey to bike from Saint Louis to Chicago with his dad in just four days.

The 350 mile trip tests their endurance and at times, their relationship.

The free screening is next Sunday, February 16th at 3 p.m. at the Main Library on Goodwood Boulevard.

Following the film, there will be a panel discussion.

For more information and to sign up, head to lpb.org/bike vessel from hashtag to headlines.

Here's what's trending this week.

Okay, I'm going to state the obvious here that shaper ball fans are packing New Orleans as we speak.

This time for Super Bowl number 59.

That is right Karen.

How exciting.

And the week long celebration kicked off with the second line to welcome the Lombardi Trophy to New Orleans.

Thousands of people packed the French Quarter, where the Saint Louis Cathedral was all lit up with this dazzling light show that highlighted Maryland's history, along with the jazz soundtrack.

And this was a social media sensation that was once it really was, as, yeah, it really was.

And it was beautiful.

Karen.

There's a lot of speculation about which celebrities will be in Louisiana for the big game.

Here's what we know.

We know that President Donald Trump is expected to attend, as well as former first Lady Jill Biden ou President Trump.

How exciting.

And guess who is sure to be back?

And that is Taylor Swift.

She's coming to the Crescent City to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelsey playing in the game.

And you know that Taylor does not go anywhere without her A-list.

I'm sure there'll be a lot of camera time in the stands and towards Taylor and her posse.

That's right.

So two mega yachts have been docked in New Orleans for days now.

They belong to the owners of the Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Now, these ships give this each cost an estimated $360 million.

I got to say something.

What a way to stay in style.

I forget the five star hotels and what exactly?

And then of all people, the Atlanta Falcons owner.

Come on, you know the rivalry there.

Well, while the Philadelphia Eagles get ready to take on the Kansas City Chiefs, some of the players got a little pop quiz on the unique pronunciation of Louisiana's towns and street names you're gonna get.

You can get a little chuckle out of this.

Listen up, Nat.

She told us she can't delete.

Can't the delay.

Now you know the funniest one to me.

I love always anybody that's from anywhere.

When they try to pronounce to it, it makes me laugh so much and spell it right.

That's even worse.

Just as messy.

Yeah.

Now, even if you aren't a fan of either team, they're still lots of fun events around the city.

Well, that includes NFL Super Bowl experience at the Memorial Convention Center.

Fans can either attend meet and greets with their favorite players.

They can also take part in interactive event at some great.

It is great.

And Victor Howell got a sneak peek before the doors opened to the public.

You can.

With football's biggest game taking center stage in New Orleans, downtown New Orleans has turned into a football fans ultimate playground, with the Morial Convention Center converted to a sensory overload of lights, games and activities.

As host of the Super Bowl experience.

This is a big one.

When you walk from the main entry all the way down to the media center, you'll see you get your steps in, which is good, but this is a big one for us.

And it takes you again, like about four hours.

There's over 700,000ft² of activities, so much of it interactive, with four lanes of the 40 yard dash, tackling dummies, field goal kicking, the official Wilson footballs being inflated and laced up, and much more.

It's been 12 years since no.

One of last hosted the Super Bowl, and there's a lot going on, but the city hasn't missed a beat.

You guys know how to host, right?

Build to host the hospitality industry here is unmatched.

But also it's just a culture that we love.

We hosted a Super Bowl 59 second line on Sunday.

We had all these amazing the baby dolls and the Zulu tribe, and it was marching bands, which I know is not a traditional part of Second Line.

But when we introduced that, it was just so amazingly representative of the culture.

In addition to the food, the people love the culture of New Orleans.

While the focus on the field will be the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, the experience is an open invitation to fans of every team that just want to celebrate football.

The difference to about the Super Bowl experience is we celebrate all 32 teams, so we have the Saints.

Of course, we're paying homage to our host.

We have our Saints locker room exhibit, but we of course have the AFC and NFC champions represented.

But we also have the other 29 clubs.

So if you're a Buffalo Bill fan, come on down.

You know if you love the Raiders come on down.

We have something for everybody who is a fan of all 32 NFL teams.

Indeed, the NFL experience is for fans of any team in the NFL.

You can even picture yourself wearing the uniform of your favorite team or the uniform of a team that you think might win the Super Bowl, or a team that won't voice next year.

You can also take time to learn about the history of the game and Hall of Fame inductees, and see the rings, one by each team.

Since Super Bowl one.

Look at the first years.

Those rings look like class rings.

There's the Saints title ring from when they won it all in Miami.

And look at how big they've gotten now.

These are the last two rings won by Kansas City in the last two years.

You can shop til you drop, try your luck at some of the challenges.

Or just walk around and take it all in.

In the end, the Super Bowl experience is a reflection of its host, something the NFL says we should be very proud of.

It's amazing here, just the people of New Orleans, and we want to make them proud.

And so when we open our doors, it's like immediate gratification that the work that we've put in is really recognized by the community.

And this is you all this is local labor, this is local contractors and local vendors.

They're helping build this thing with us.

So we put a lot of people to work.

We have teammates that are getting a livable wage.

You're going to see yourselves in our events.

You're going to see yourselves in our staff.

These events is definitely, something that was built by the city, by those residents in and around New Orleans.

You helped us build this thing.

So come down, be proud.

We hope that you're proud of the events that we're producing for you.

The Super Bowl experience is open through Saturday night and tickets are $40 for adults.

Kids 12 and under get in free.

The big Game kicks off at 530 Sunday night in the Caesars Superdome.

That's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB, any time, wherever you are with our LPB app.

That's right.

And you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

I'm Karen the Black and I'm Dorothea Wilson.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

Support for Louisiana, the state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together, we power lights.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum.

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.

Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.