By Rosemary Westwood WWNO/WRKF A group of high-level managers at the Louisiana Department of Health walked into a Nov. 14 meeting in Baton Rouge expecting to talk about outreach and community events.

It was a tale of two crops this year for Louisiana rice farmers. Rice planted and harvested early had excellent yields. The ones that were planted and harvested later, not so much.

After the rush of the holiday season has largely ended, and the excess of the season starts to weigh on celebrants’ minds, it ...