Red Stick Farmers Market closed again today; open Saturday

Excessive rainfall throughout the state has forced another closure of the Thursday Red Stick Farmers Market, but the market will open as normal on Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, at Fifth and Main streets downtown. Last week’s weather included average rainfall across the state of 5.72 inches—4.37 inches above normal this time of year. Three tornados touched down throughout South Louisiana, according to the State Office of Climatology. This week, farmers continued to face rain, making harvesting in time for a Thursday market difficult. “The Saturday Market will operate on our usual schedule, rain or shine,” says Copper Alvarez, executive director of Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA). “Sunshine for the following week should give farmers time to get in the fields again for next Thursday, Jan. 24.” —Maggie Heyn Richardson