The winner is: The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Angela O’Byrne, president and owner of Perez APC in New Orleans this year’s Small Business Person of the Year in Louisiana. O’Byrne is one of 54 winners representing each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. All of the winners are invited to attend ceremonies in Washington D.C. on May 1-2 where they will receive their individual awards and the 2016 National Small Business Person of the Year will be named. In a statement, SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet says each state’s honoree was chosen because they showcase an entrepreneurial spirit daily and demonstrate what it takes to be successful in an evolving and competitive business environment. See the full listing of honorees in each state.
Underwater: Louisiana’s corn corp appears to be the biggest agricultural casualty of the recent flooding in the northern part of the state, according to the LSU AgCenter. Dan Fromme, LSU AgCenter corn specialist, says farmers had planted roughly 30,000 acres of corn in an eight-parish area of north Louisiana, or about 8% of the state’s total corn acreage in 2014. Corn seed and seedlings will suffer from flooding because of the lack of oxygen in the water-logged soil, he says. Whether fields will have to be replanted is uncertain, says Fromme. “You really won’t be certain for four to five days after the water subsides,” he says, noting replanting could cost roughly $140 an acre for seed, and $100 for fertilizer, in addition to fuel. Read the full story.
Derailed: Kansas City Southern announced this morning that its rail network is experiencing service disruptions in east Texas and significant portions of Louisiana due to heavy rainfall and severe flooding. In a news release, the company says service disruptions began last Wednesday. North Louisiana is experiencing recorded flooding. Gov. John Bel Edwards and the federal government have both declared a state of emergency in all of Louisiana due to the flooding. KCS says it is monitoring the situation closely and working diligently to quickly make repairs and restore service. The company says it expects to be able to restore service in some areas of Louisiana this week, with some outages likely extending into next week.
