This Week in Louisiana Agriculture, or TWILA, is an agricultural television program produced by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The 30-minute weekly program airs across Louisiana and nationwide on the RFD-TV network. TWILA's team of reporters and producers tell the story of Louisiana agriculture from the perspective of both farmers and consumers.
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Former Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Public Relations Director, Regnal Wallace, created This Week in Louisiana Agriculture in 1981 and the show became the state's first television farm news program. TWILA signed on the air with CBS affiliate KNOE-TV 8 in Monroe, Louisiana on September 24, 1981. CBS affiliate WAFB-TV 9 (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) followed suit three weeks later. Within a few months the program was on KALB-TV 5 in Alexandria and KATC-TV 3 in Lafayette. By 1984, Shreveport station KTAL-TV 6 picked up the program, followed by Lake Charles station KPLC-TV 7 in 1986. To date, it is the only statewide television program in Louisiana dedicated to agricultural and consumer news.
In its early days, TWILA consisted of just three staffers, host Regnal Wallace, producer and reporter Kevin Wagner and reporter Sandy Lewis. In 1983, reporter Robbie Curry replaced Sandy Lewis and in 1984 producer David Langley joined the staff after Kevin Wagner left the show. In June 1985 host Michael Danna joined the staff as a reporter. Danna began hosting the program in 1997, upon the retirement of creator Regnal Wallace.
TWILA covered traditional row crop agriculture in its early years; however, the show evolved to cover niche market crops, human-interest stories and governmental, environmental and consumer issues. The show was cited by a member of the state’s Senate Ag Committee as a “video lesson on the importance of Louisiana agriculture.”
In 2003, This Week in Louisiana Agriculture broadened its news coverage by reporting on agricultural issues from Japan, Chile, Argentina, Israel, China, Brazil, Colombia and Panama.
This Week in Louisiana Agriculture is watched weekly by more than 500,000 viewers on 17 broadcast and cable stations across Louisiana and nationally on RFD-TV. The program is one of the longest-running television programs produced in Louisiana, second only to Louisiana Public Broadcasting’s “Louisiana: The State We’re In.”
Over the years, the program has been recognized for its reporting by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Telly Awards and the Hermes Creative Awards. TWILA has garnered four Telly Awards, earning honors for its reporting on the British Petroleum oil disaster in April 2010 and for its coverage marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. TWILA also received two Hermes Creative Awards, a gold and platinum, for its news coverage on the "This Week in Your Town: Portales, New Mexico" and the British Petroleum oil disaster stories.
In March 2010, This Week in Louisiana Agriculture received its first Telly Award for coverage on the "This Week in Your Town: Dothan, Alabama” episode.
In March 2011, This Week in Louisiana Agriculture received three Telly Awards for coverage on the “This Week in Your Town: Portales New Mexico,” “5 Year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina” and the “BP Oil Spill” episodes.
In May 2011, This Week in Louisiana Agriculture received two Hermes Creative Awards for coverage on the “This Week in Your Town: Portales New Mexico,” and the “BP Oil Spill” episodes.