Vermilion Rice, Crawfish Farmer Named La. Farm Bureau Outstanding Farm Woman

La. Farm Bureau President Jim Harper, left, and Young Farmers and Ranchers Chairman Vincent Cannatella, right, present Laura Hebert, center, with the Outstanding Young Farm Woman award.

By: Kristen Oaks-White

NEW ORLEANS—A Vermilion Parish rice and crawfish farmer is this year’s Outstanding Young Farm Woman.

Laura Hebert, 30, received the award at the Louisiana Farm Bureau's 100th Annual Convention in New Orleans on June 23, 2022.  

“Winning this award is truly an honor," said Hebert. “I am constantly trying to better myself and my career in farming, and winning this award is a step in the right direction." 

Hebert is a fourth-generation rice and crawfish farmer from Maurice.

“I have been helping my father on his farm for 15 years, so it’s no coincidence that that I chose farming as my way of life” said Hebert.

While it may seem that way now, Hebert’s career path was not that straightforward. She began pursuing a degree in agricultural business at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette but found herself changing her major multiple times.

“I somehow found my way back to agriculture when I graduated college, and I haven’t looked back since,” Hebert said.

After working alongside her father for years, Hebert started her own farming operation in 2018. She and her wife, Amber, now farm 750 acres of rice and crawfish. 

“I am extremely grateful for the Louisiana Farm Bureau,” Hebert said. “Without this organization, I would not be where I am today.”

As the 2022 Outstanding Young Farm Woman Award winner, Hebert received a $2,000 Visa gift card from the Louisiana Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, a trip to the American Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Leadership Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and two $250 gift cards courtesy of Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and Louisiana Farm Bureau Bank.

Founded in 1921, the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general farm organization representing more than 136,000 member families.