The heat and drought conditions are now taking their toll on crawfish production.
It’s the latest agricultural sector where output is expected to fall as a result of the weeks-long intense weather conditions.
This time, the drought has put stress on three key areas of the $230 million crawfish production industry, LSU AgCenter says in a news release. They include:
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• Underground burrows where crawfish spend the summer are cracking open because the ground is so dry, threatening their survival.
• The lack of rain has increased salt levels in water sources that producers depend on to flood their ponds.
• Concerns about rice and grasses surviving the conditions and whether crawfish will have enough food this winter.
The 300,000 acres dedicated to crawfish farming are all experiencing these situations differently, the AgCenter adds. At this point, the AgCenter is still optimistic about crawfish production, AgCenter agent Todd Fontenot says, adding that producers are flooding their production fields to supplement rain loss and keep particularly drought-stricken areas moist.
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Complicating matters further, the cost of crawfish production is also up. Prices for irrigation, labor and equipment are increasing as the drought hits. Favorable weather forecasts with sufficient rainfall could put production back on track for a profitable season, Fontenot says.
“The best solution right now is we need rainfall,” Fontenot added in a prepared statement. Read the whole story.
This story originally appeared in an Aug. 30 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.