Commissioner Strain Asks USDA for "Urgent" Help for Crawfish Farmers
By Avery J. Davidson
Louisiana Farm Bureau News
Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain asked U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to fund the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-Raised Fish program, or a similar program, to aid Louisiana crawfish farmers affected by drought and cold temperatures. Strain made the request in a letter dated February 2, 2024.
In the letter, Strain wrote, “We normally begin fishing in late November and celebrate Mardi Gras with abundant and affordable crawfish. This year is an exception. For the first time in many years, due to sustained drought in 2023 and freezing temperatures in early 2024, crawfish are simply unavailable.”
“More concerning is the fact that we currently estimate that as many as 120,000/360,000 acres of production will be devoid of crawfish suitable for harvest as they perished in the drought. The economic loss to our farmers and farm economy cannot be overstated as many will have lost their entire crop and supply chain to provide for the restaurant and consuming public.”
The LSU AgCenter estimated total economic losses to the state’s agricultural sector at $1.69 billion due to the drought.