SBA to Open Business Recovery Centers in Crowley, Avondale to Help Businesses Impacted by Severe or Extreme Drought
The U.S. Small Business Administration today announced the opening of a SBA Business Recovery Center in Avondale on Tuesday, April 2, to provide a wide range of services to businesses impacted by severe or extreme drought that occurred Sept. 19 - Dec. 5, 2023. The center will open as indicated below.
“Given the economic losses Louisiana businesses have faced, our priority is to provide them with all the support they need to assist in their recovery,” said Francisco Sánchez Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration.
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High Demand, Low Supply for Crawfish During Easter Weekend
As we head into Easter weekend, crawfish sellers are warning customers about the ongoing crawfish crisis.
If your family plans to host a crawfish boil, sellers said you may want to have a backup plan. Restaurant owners said they don’t have much on hand and if they do, it’s going to cost you.
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Louisiana Small Businesses Have Until End of April to Apply for Federal Disaster Assistance After Statewide Drought
The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding small nonfarm businesses in Louisiana about the approaching deadline to apply for a federal disaster loan for economic injury after the statewide drought.
The deadline to apply is Monday, April 29.
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Good Friday Crawfish Prices Surge
Good Friday is a big day for seafood, but one of the worst crawfish seasons on record has made it hard on local sellers.
Crawfish prices went up just ahead of Easter weekend by 50 cents a pound, almost double what they were last Easter, according to The Crawfish App.
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Lawmakers Support New Fees on Louisiana Seafood Dealers who Import Foreign Catch
State lawmakers advanced separate bills Tuesday to address the dominance of cheap foreign seafood in Louisiana. One would require seafood dealers to pay higher fees for importing foreign catch into the state, and another would require wholesalers and retailers to obtain a new seafood importer license.
House Bill 748, sponsored by Rep. Jessica Domangue, R-Houma, would raise the state’s imported seafood safety fee from a flat $100 per year to a 0.1% assessment on the company’s gross revenue.
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How Drought is Destroying the US Crawfish Sector
Over the past decade, crawfish (often known as crayfish outside the US) production in Louisiana and the surrounding region has grown to become, arguably, the second most valuable sector in US aquaculture behind only catfish. This low-input, environmentally sustainable industry is based on management practices that mimic natural hydrological and vegetative cycles. It is also, however, greatly influenced by the weather and when normal precipitation patterns are disrupted crawfish populations (and harvests) can be significantly impacted. This 2023- 2024 season is a sobering illustration of how severe those impacts can be.
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LSU AgCenter Mentor Helps Student Win Accolades With Innovative Catfish Experiment
Under the watchful eye of her mentor, Lily May carefully measured catfish fillets, powdered gelatin and water. May was preparing an experiment to test the effects of coatings on the omega-3 fatty acids in refrigerated catfish.
May’s mentor, Evelyn Watts, a seafood extension specialist with the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant, has supervised graduate and undergraduate students conducting research in her lab, but May, a junior at St. Joseph’s Academy, was the first high school student Watts has worked with.
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Alternative Oyster Culture, A New Way Of Farming, Introduced in Cameron Parish
Oyster farmers in Cameron Parish are hopeful that a new initiative will further drive business.
Back in 2022, a grant was given to the Cameron Parish port to establish a new kind of oyster park located at the south end of Calcasieu Lake.
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Higgins Announces SBA Approval of Louisiana’s Disaster Request for Crawfish
Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) announced that the Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved Governor Landry’s drought disaster declaration request and extended the deadline for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications in response to the 2023 drought.
Congressman Higgins led a letter with members of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation to the SBA Administrator, Isabel Guzman, in support of Governor Landry’s request earlier this week.
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Congresswoman Julia Letlow Questions US Agriculture Secretary Vilsack During FY2025 Budget Hearing
During the House Appropriations Committee FY2025 Department of Agriculture Budget Hearing, Congresswoman Julia Letlow (LA-05) questioned U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and discussed the steps his Department is taking to provide assistance to our agriculture industry.
Congresswoman Letlow highlighted the challenges Louisiana farmers, ranchers, and producers are facing due to high temperatures and drought from 2023. Specifically, the Congresswoman urged Secretary Vilsack to use his authority and provide relief to the crawfish industry.
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Louisiana Crawfish Businesses Impacted by Drought Could Get Federal Assistance
Those in the crawfish industry in Louisiana and neighboring states who have been affected by last year's severe drought can apply for federal disaster loans to help with financial loss, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced on Thursday.
The federal approval for disaster funds comes after Gov. Jeff Landry issued a disaster declaration at the beginning of the month amid a crawfish storage caused by drought and extreme heat.
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Crawfish Crisis: Louisiana Farmers Face Diminished Crawfish Production
Where peak season would typically find crawfish enthusiasts and producers alike elbow deep in the sinus-melting satisfaction of a good boil, Louisiana’s shellfish farmers have instead encountered a serious situation. When traps set during the fall revealed either no crawfish at all or a measly one or two instead of a bounty, hopes for a high-quality season were put on hold.
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Kennedy, Louisiana Delegation Urge SBA to Make Emergency Declaration for Crawfish Producers
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined members of the Louisiana congressional delegation in urging Small Business Association (SBA) Administrator Isabel Guzman to make a disaster declaration so that Louisiana’s crawfish processors, wholesalers, boilers and other related enterprises can receive emergency assistance.
In 2023, Louisiana’s adverse weather hurt the crawfish harvest. The lawmakers gave their support to Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s declaration request.
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Higgins Leads Louisiana Delegation Urging Small Business Administrator to Approve Disaster Request for Crawfish
Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) led members of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation on a letter to the U.S. Small Business Administrator, Isabel Guzman, in support of Governor Jeff Landry’s disaster declaration in response to 2023 drought conditions. The delegation urges the Small Business Administration (SBA) to approve Louisiana’s request and extend the deadline for Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) filing through the end of the crawfish season so that Louisiana businesses can have access to critical financial assistance.
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Crawfish Industry Counts Their Losses While Awaiting Federal Disaster Declaration
Normally, the weeks just before Easter mean peak business for crawfish harvesters, wholesalers and processors, with ample product and high demand. Instead, they’re waiting to see if the federal government will declare a disaster for their industry, which continues to weather the after-effects of last summer’s extended drought and a bad freeze earlier this year.
Losses for the Louisiana crawfish industry are estimated to reach nearly $140 million — more than half the typical annual yield, according to the LSU AgCenter.
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