Rep. Julia Letlow, Louisiana Farm Bureau Work Together to Protect Crawfish, Livestock in 2023 Farm Bill
By Avery J. Davidson
Louisiana Farm Bureau News
Louisiana crawfish farmers and cattle ranchers affected by this year’s drought will have additional protections in the 2023 Farm Bill if Congress passes H.R. 5691, the Drought Assistance Improvement Act, authored by Louisiana 5th District Congresswoman Julia Letlow.
The Drought Assistance Improvement Act would change the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). Currently, a cattle rancher must have pastures in severe drought, D2 on the U.S. Drought Monitor, for eight consecutive weeks before USDA offers a one-month payment. Letlow’s bill would allow ranchers to qualify for a one-month payment after four consecutive weeks of severe drought and two months payments after eight consecutive weeks of severe drought.
“Louisiana has been experiencing record droughts, affecting the livelihood of our farmers and producers,” said Letlow. “Eight weeks of drought conditions is far too long for farmers to have to wait for assistance while they only receive one month of payment in return. I’ve proposed we lower this metric to four weeks to ensure our farmers and producers can continue their family farming operations that are crucial to our region.”
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Livestock Advisory Committee Chair Amelia Kent has cattle in East Feliciana Parish, which is part of Letlow’s district. Kent’s pastures are currently in exceptional drought, D4 on the U.S. Drought Monitor, the most severe classification.
“Congresswoman Letlow and her staff have been engaged every step of the way through this drought with cattle producers across her district, like me,” Kent said. “The proposed changes to LFP were ideas straight from the mouths of Louisiana Farm Bureau Livestock Committee members and she’s turning that into timely legislation.”
The Drought Assistance Improvement Act would also add protection for crawfish under the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). Currently crawfish farmers do not receive payments for losses due to drought.
Rapides Parish Farm Bureau President and crawfish farmer Bill Cheek has crawfish ponds that are also in the highest level of drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor, D4.
"This drought has brought on cracks in our soil and severe challenges to our rice and Sudan grass plantings for crawfish like I've never seen,” Cheek said. “We are incurring a lot of extra costs trying to pump water to keep the crawfish from drying out and dying in the heat. It is such a relief to hear Congresswoman Letlow has us in mind and is offering a bill that could expand crawfish farmers’ safety net to include drought."
Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation staff worked closely with Letlow’s staff to draft the bill, a source of pride for Louisiana Farm Bureau President Jim Harper.
“It’s relationships like the one between Louisiana Farm Bureau and Congresswoman Letlow that foster important and effective legislation for our farmers and ranchers,” said Harper. “Farm Bureau stands behind her Drought Assistance Improvement Act to make the disaster programs in the Farm Bill work better for our cattle ranchers and crawfish farmers. As a crawfish farmer myself, I see what a lack of rain does to yields. Congresswoman Letlow’s bill brings common sense to the Farm Bill.”
Read the full text of H.R. 5691 here.