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LSU estimates crop damages to exceed $100 million

Early estimates from Louisiana State University’s Ag Center show the state’s ag industry will lose more than 100-million-dollars from flooding damages.

Ag economist Kurt Guidry says from a total dollar amount, rice, soybeans, and livestock were hit the hardest.  “The rice crop we had about 20 percent of the acreage that is yet to be harvested,” he says.  “A lot of those acres are completely flooded.  We know we’re going to have some yield impact and most definitely some quality impact on that rice.”

And, Guidry says crop quality is deteriorating as it is sits under water.  “Certain cases damages are extensive enough it will be essentially unmarketable,” he says.  “Even though farmers have quantity there to sell – there is no market for it.  So essentially you have a 100 percent loss.”

He tells Brownfield sugar cane farmers could also see significant losses.

He says some farmers have been using soybeans as a rotational crop, but harvest delays because of the flooding is putting sugar cane planting in jeopardy.  “Not being able to plant sugar cane has some multi-year impacts,” he says.  “Because sugar cane is a multi-year crop.  Basically we plant sugar cane in one year and we expect to have that crop in production and able to generate some revenue for the next three to five years.”

Guidry says the loss totals are expected to grow as flood waters recede and farmers realize the full extent of damages.

AUDIO: Kurt Guidry, Louisiana State University