-
2020 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture & Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2020. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy with the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
The food and fiber sector faced a significant number of issues and challenges during the 2020 calendar year. The year started out with the emergence of COVID-19 and quickly developed into a pandemic. This created significant uncertainty in markets for most food and fiber markets as shutdowns and disruptions in processing and movement of commodities through normal marketing channels impacted supplies as well as overall demand. For those commodities which rely heavily on away-from-home consumption as a large portion of their overall demand, forced shutdowns to restaurants and other food service operations significantly impacted demand and product movement. For other commodities, forced quarantines caused disruption in processing and shipment of products which impacted both available supplies and overall demand. While all agricultural commodities faced some level of impact from the uncertainty and disruptions caused by the pandemic, the commodities in the state that were likely most heavily impacted were seafood, crawfish, poultry, beef cattle, and dairy. Again, these commodities rely heavily on restaurants and food service as a significant component of their overall demand. In addition, shutdown of major processing facilities for poultry and beef due to forced quarantine significantly disrupted normal operation of marketing channels. Fortunately, federal assistance was made available to commodities impacted by COVID-19 to help limit the financial impacts and maintain those industries.
If dealing with a major pandemic was not enough, the state was also hit by three hurricanes during a period from August to October 2020. Hurricane Laura hit the state in August 2020 as a Category 4 hurricane in the southwest corner of the state and then tracked the western edge of the state, maintaining hurricane force winds to the Arkansas-Louisiana line. In early October 2020, Hurricane Delta hit the state as a Category 2 hurricane in nearly the identical location as Hurricane Laura but then tracked to the central part of the state before taking an easterly turn. Finally, in late October 2020, Hurricane Zeta hit the state as a Category 2 hurricane in the southeastern portion of the state before tracking along with southeastern edge of the state. Each of the storms created different impacts for the food and fiber sector. While there were some impacts to yield and production to certain commodities from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, the biggest impact from these two storms was the amount of damage to infrastructure across the entire food and fiber sector. In addition, the timber industry saw significant damage as high winds downed a large volume of timber throughout the paths of both storms. For Hurricane Zeta, given its path through the state and its quick movement, damage was much more limited with the largest impacts likely to the fisheries sector.
Despite the issues and challenges created by the pandemic and the storms, food and fiber production in the state continued to march forward. As indicated, while the storms caused significant damage to infrastructure, they caused relatively minimal damage to yields and production, particularly considering the size and nature of the storms. Prior to the storms, weather conditions were generally favorable for agricultural production and relatively favorable conditions after the storms and through harvest for many commodities helped limit the overall impact on agricultural production. In fact, given the improved weather conditions during the growing season and harvest as compared to the previous year, there were several commodities that experienced year-over-year increases in yields. Yields in 2020 were reported higher for all of the feed grains, rice, soybeans, and sugarcane. For other commodities like cotton and sweet potatoes that did not experience year-over-year increases, yields in 2020 were still close to the previous year and certainly in line with 5 year and 10 year averages.
As seen with production levels, commodity prices for many of the major row crop commodities were either steady or higher than the previous year despite the uncertainty and market volatility created by the pandemic and, to some extent, by the storms in 2020. Much of the year-over-year increase in commodity prices is likely explained by the low prices experienced in 2019. While the pandemic and storms likely had negative impacts for price movement, prices were still able to surpass the low levels experienced in 2019. Also, as different parts of the world implemented stricter policies and protocols for managing COVID and as international trade flows became disrupted, it allowed for some opportunities for the United States to gain export share of certain commodities and supported prices. For some commodities, like rice, sharp increases in domestic demand were seen as consumers were forced to have more of their food consumption at home and incorporated more rice into their meals. And general inflationary conditions in the US economy that started to materialize in 2020 likely helped to also push prices for some commodities higher. Prices for rice, soybeans, grain sorghum, sugarcane, and sweet potatoes all increased in 2020. Prices for many of the fruit and vegetable commodities were also higher as in-home consumption and demand for those products rose due to the pandemic. Prices for corn, cotton, and wheat were all lower in 2020 versus 2019 but the decrease in prices were relatively minimal for those commodities.
Prices in for the livestock sector were mixed in 2020. Beef cattle, sheep, and goats all experienced year-over-year increases across all classes. For those commodities, supply and demand dynamics heading into 2020 all pointed to higher prices. And while those markets were certainly negatively impacted by the pandemic, the strong supply and demand situation heading into the year helped to counteract those negative impacts and still generate year-over-year increases. Prices for other livestock commodities, like broilers and swine, were not as fortunate and experienced year-over-year decreases. For those commodities, the disruptions caused by the pandemic along with some already concerning supply and demand dynamics helped to push prices down. For other commodities like horses, prices remained stable in 2020 versus the previous year.
Prices for the fisheries and wildlife enterprises were also mixed. Fisheries prices for shrimp and wild caught crawfish, were up significantly from the previous year while prices for oysters and soft-shell crabs were up marginally. Prices for crabs, freshwater fish, and menhaden were down from the previous year. It should be noted that production and prices reported for fishery commodities have a one-year lag. So, prices and production reported are for the 2019 production season and do not reflect the impact of the pandemic. Farm raised crawfish prices were down in 2020 from the previous year as impacts from the pandemic impacted not only the level of production that producers were able to market but also the prices they received. Prices for both farm raised and wild alligators were also slightly down in 2020. It should be noted that alligator prices are now reported on a price per alligator basis versus previous reports which reported prices on a price per foot basis. Changes in the manner in which alligator information is collected and received by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries necessitated a change in the units in which alligator prices are reported. In both cases, however, softness in the demand and market for hides resulted in slightly lower overall values for alligators harvested in 2020. Finally, reductions in the price for fur animals and honey were also experienced in 2020 as overall demand and interest in those commodities decreased slightly in 2020.
As is the case in most years, there are some commodities in 2020 that performed well both from a production and price standpoint and other commodities that faced significant challenges. This resulted in total gross farm values for different commodities and different commodity groups to vary significantly. Total gross farm value across all plant enterprises was up (4 percent) from the previous year. Steady to slightly higher yields for most commodities along with improved prices help to offset the slight reduction in total forestry values experienced in 2020. Gross farm value across all fisheries and wildlife enterprises was down nearly 9 percent from the previous year. Despite prices being up for many fishery commodities, lower catch levels helped to bring the total gross farm value down in 2020. Finally, the gross farm value across all livestock enterprises saw a 3 percent decrease from the previous year. Impacts from the pandemic along with lower overall production and sales were the primary factors resulting in lower gross farm value.
When the commodities produced by agricultural producers are cleaned, processed, and packaged at the next stages of the marketing channel, these value-added activities create additional economic activity over and above that defined by the gross farm value. In 2020, these value-added activities were estimated to have an additional economic impact of $4.97 billion. Taken together, the gross farm value and value-added activities were estimated to have a total economic impact of nearly $10.91 billion. This represents a 2.21 percent decrease from 2019. Given the level of economic activity that the state’s agriculture, forestry, and fishery industries continue to generate each year, it is undeniable that they continue to be major contributors to the overall state’s economy. Cutting-edge research programs and extension education and outreach efforts of the LSU AgCenter remain critical to sustaining these economic benefits.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. However, for those who work in it day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor and an economic engine. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers. Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy, becoming increasingly so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter, with its major branches of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we are committed to serving that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2019 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2019. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies — both private and public — compiled the data. Their analyses focus on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that constitute our vital agricultural industry. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state's economy with the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
The 2019 growing and harvest season was a struggle for most producers. Wet conditions in the spring and during planting along with high river levels caused difficulty for many commodities and either forced acreage to be shifted to other commodities or totally left unplanted. The difficult start to the growing season along with intermittent wet weather throughout the production and harvest seasons resulted in most of the state's major row crop commodities experiencing lower yields in 2019 as compared to the previous year. Per acre yields were down for corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans and sugarcane. In addition to lower yields, soybean acres were markedly lower in 2019, falling below 1 million acres for the first time in many years. Wet conditions and flooding at planting and early in the production year forced many acres to be lost or simply left unplanted. For sugarcane, adverse weather conditions in 2019 only helped to further the damage that was caused to the stubble crop from the extremely wet harvest in 2018. While cotton yields were up in 2019, they were only up marginally as wet, and unfavorable conditions in 2019 likely limited the potential of that crop as well.
In addition to the production difficulties experienced in 2019, producers also faced an uncertain market environment. Trade disputes and tougher trade policies helped to create a great deal of volatility in commodity markets. Significant slowdowns in export sales were experienced for most row crop commodities and some livestock commodities. Despite relatively strong and stable domestic demand during 2019, the uncertainty regarding trade and trade policy did slowly start to impact commodity prices. For the 2019 calendar year, sharp declines were experienced for cotton, soybeans, rice, wheat and grain sorghum. Corn prices during the 2019 calendar year were able to remain mostly unchanged from the previous year, but this was primarily a function of lower overall production and supplies in the United States in 2019 and not a function of strong demand.
Prices in 2019 for the livestock sector were mixed. All cattle prices were lower in 2019 as disruptions in the cattle processing sector sent shock waves throughout the industry. So, despite generally favorable demand, slowdowns in processing and the movement of beef through marketing channels helped to push prices downward for all classes of beef cattle. Likewise, broiler prices and other poultry prices were generally marginally lower in 2019 as increases in overall production of those products helped to put downward pressure on prices. Conversely, improving supply dynamics for the dairy industry helped to push milk prices marginally higher. That, along with improving domestic and export demand for milk and other dairy products, helped to support prices. Prices for other livestock species (horses, sheep, goats and pigs) were also marginally higher in 2019.
Prices for the fisheries and wildlife enterprises were also mixed in 2019. Prices for farm-raised crawfish were higher as demand continued to expand and outpace supplies. Other fishery prices that experienced increases in 2019 were oysters, menhaden and crabs. Prices for shrimp, farm-raised and wild-caught alligators, and freshwater and saltwater fish were all marginally lower in 2019. Continued issues over demand for alligators pressured prices during 2019, while increased competition from imported products continued to limit prices for shrimp and finfish. Finally, honey prices continued to increase in 2019, up marginally over the previous year. Increased interest in honey production and demand continues to provide strong fundamentals for this sector.
As is the case in most years, there are some commodities in 2019 that performed well both from a production and price standpoint and other commodities that faced significant challenges. This resulted in total gross farm values for different commodities and different commodity groups to vary significantly. Total gross farm value across all plant enterprises was down 6.41% from the previous year. Despite forestry values being up in 2019, lower yields and lower prices for much of the state's major row crop sector helped push total farm gate values down. Similarly, gross farm value across all fisheries and wildlife enterprises were down marginally, less than 1% from the previous year.
Despite lower prices for many of the fishery commodities, larger production levels helped to minimize the overall impact. Finally, the gross farm value across all livestock enterprises saw the largest decrease from the previous year, down over 10%. Lower prices for beef cattle and broiler production more than offset slight increases for some of the smaller animal enterprises in the state.
When the commodities produced by agricultural producers are cleaned, processed and packaged at the next stages of the marketing channel, these value-added activities create additional economic activity over and above that defined by the gross farm value. In 2019, these value-added activities were estimated to have an additional economic impact of $5.2 billion. Taken together, the gross farm value and value-added activities were estimated to have a total economic impact of nearly $11.2 billion. This represents a 4.37% decrease from 2018. Given the level of economic activity that the state's agriculture, forestry and fishery industries continue to generate each year, it is undeniable that they continue to be major contributors to the overall state's economy. Cutting-edge research programs and extension education and outreach efforts of the LSU AgCenter remain critical to sustaining these economic benefits.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. However, for those who work in it day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor and an economic engine. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risk and sometimes low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state's producers. Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy, becoming increasingly so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter, with its major branches the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, are proud to be part of Louisiana's agricultural industry. We are committed to serving that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2018 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2018. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies — both private and public — compiled the data. Their analyses focus on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that constitute our vital agricultural industry. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy with the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
As has been a reoccurring theme over the last several years, the 2018 growing and harvest seasons had periods of favorable conditions and extended periods of extremely unfavorable conditions. For the most part, the 2018 planting season began favorably with adequate soil moisture, which helped move planting along at a brisk pace for many commodities. However, cooler than normal temperatures in March and much of April were noted as hampering crop development. Then, what seemed like an immediate switch, conditions turned very hot and dry. Despite the extremes in weather for much of the spring, the overall condition of most crops was excellent heading into the middle of summer. At that time, however, dry and hot conditions quickly changed as persistent rainfall began in later summer and continued through much of the fall. Those persistent rains affected harvest efficiency and crop quality for many commodities, particularly in the southern portion of the state.
Despite the challenging weather conditions in 2018, yields for nearly all the major row crop commodities where higher than the previous year. Total cotton lint yields were up over 20% from the previous year, rice yields were up 5.4%, grain sorghum yields were up 3.9%, and sugar yields were up 3.6% from 2017, a record high. Wheat yields were also significantly higher in 2018 after three consecutive years of lower than normal yields caused by adverse weather conditions and heightened disease pressure. Corn was the only major commodity that did not experience a yield increase as yield estimates for 2018 were down roughly 1.2% from the previous year. Even while down in 2018, corn yields remained above the five-year average. Yield per harvested acre was also up for soybeans and sweet potatoes. The soybean yield per harvested acre was up 4.1%, and sweet potatoes were up by nearly 16%. However, for both commodities, the number of acres that were abandoned and left unharvested were higher than normal because of persistent rains in late summer and fall that severely impacted quality. For sweet potatoes, normally about 1% to 2% of the planted acres are not harvested. In 2018, roughly 4% of the planted acres were not harvested. The situation was even more critical for soybeans. Normally, 2% to 3% of the planted acres are not harvested. In 2018, however, more than 11% of the acres were left unharvested. This 11% amounted to nearly 148,000 acres left unharvested, mostly in the southern part of the state. While the impact to soybeans was not widespread throughout the state, many of the producers affected in the southern part of the state were unable to harvest the majority of their soybean crop. For others, even in cases where they harvested soybeans, they could not find a market for them because of excessive grain damage. Finally, even for those commodities that had minimal yield and quality impacts, harvesting under wet conditions severely increased harvest costs and impacted harvest efficiency. This was particularly true in the case of sugarcane, where persistent and heavy rains caused significant harvest issues throughout most of the harvest season.
The persistent rain through much of the late summer and fall also was believed to have impacts on livestock operations and many fruit and vegetable operations. While the ample rainfall likely helped create ample grazing for livestock producers, it also likely limited hay production and quality. Hay yields were over 12% lower than the previous year. Several reports of missed or delayed hay cuttings because of rains likely not only impacted total yield but also hay quality. Several of the fruit and vegetable crops also experienced reduced yields in 2018, which were likely at least partially because of unfavorable weather conditions.
While commodity prices for most major row crop commodities remain at discounted levels from those seen in the mid-2010s, they did rebound marginally in 2018. Prices for cotton, corn, grain sorghum, rice and wheat were all marginally higher in 2018. Sugarcane and sweet potato prices were mostly unchanged from the previous year. Soybeans were the only major commodity that experienced a decrease in prices in 2018 from the previous year. This is primarily a function of high supply and reduced demand resulting from trade disagreements between the U.S. and China. Also likely impacting the price for soybeans was the high level of quality damage experienced in the state, resulting in significant price discounts for much of the soybeans sold.
Prices in the 2018 for the livestock sector were mixed. Prices for steer and heifer calves were higher in 2018 as increased demand continued to support the market despite growing cattle and beef supplies. Prices for replacement and cull beef cattle were moderately lower in 2018 as the market continued to make adjustments in response to overall lower profitability in the cattle market over the last couple of years. Prices for all classes of swine here estimated higher in 2018 as improved demand and better overall market fundamentals helped to support that market. Likewise, prices for all classes of poultry saw improvement in prices as supply and demand fundamentals continue to improve for this sector. Prices for the sheep and goat industries were mostly steady to slightly lower from the previous year. Finally, milk and dairy cattle prices continued to struggle in 2018. Unfavorable supply and demand fundamentals continue to pressure milk prices and the overall strain on profitability continues to impact dairy cattle prices.
Prices for the fisheries and wildlife enterprises were mostly higher in 2018. Prices for both farm-raised and wild-caught crawfish were higher than the previous year despite continued growth in overall production totals. Continued market expansion for this commodity has helped offset the impact of growing production and supplies. Farm-raised alligators experienced price improvement in 2018 as stronger demand helped to support this market. However, the continued growth in farm-raised alligator production has likely reduced the market potential for wild-caught alligators and helped pressure prices down by 4% from the previous year. Most of the price increases experienced in the freshwater and marine fisheries were modest ranging from 1% to 2% over the previous year. Oysters did experience an 11% increase over the previous year as lower overall supplies and consistent demand helped push prices higher. Finally, honey prices continued to increase in 2018, up over 4% from the previous year. Increased interest in honey production and demand continues to provide strong fundamentals for this sector.
As is the case in most years, there are some commodities in 2018 that performed well both from a production and price standpoint and other commodities that faced significant challenges. This resulted in total gross farm values for different commodities and different commodity groups to vary significantly. Total gross farm value across all plant enterprises was down marginally (1.7%) from the previous year. While higher yields and prices pushed the gross farm value for many of the state’s major row crop commodities higher, reductions for forestry and many other smaller plant enterprises more than offset these increases. The forestry sector saw significant reductions in total gross farm value as market dynamics altered demand schedules for different wood products, impacting both mill and stumpage values. Similarly, gross farm value across all fisheries and wildlife enterprises were down by roughly 3% from the previous year. Despite improvement in prices for most commodities, lower overall production compared to the previous year resulted in lower gross farm values for many fisheries commodities. The total gross farm value across all livestock enterprises was the only group that saw increases from the previous year. Stronger prices for beef cattle, poultry and swine led the way for a nearly 6% increase in gross farm value across all livestock enterprises. The increase in value of the livestock enterprises offset the reductions in plant and fisheries enterprises to leave the total gross farm value across the entire Louisiana food and fiber sector mostly unchanged from the previous year.
When the commodities produced by agricultural producers are cleaned, processed and packaged at the next stages of the marketing channel, these value-added activities create additional economic activity over and above that defined by the gross farm value. In 2018, these value-added activities were estimated to have an additional economic impact of $5.3 billion. Taken together, the gross farm value and value-added activities were estimated to have a total economic impact of nearly $11.7 billion. This represents less than a 1% decrease from 2017. Given the level of economic activity that the state’s agriculture, forestry and fishery industries continue to generate each year, it is undeniable that they continue to be major contributors to the overall state economy. Cutting-edge research programs and extension education and outreach efforts of the LSU AgCenter remain critical to sustaining these economic benefits.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. However, for those who work in it day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor and an economic engine. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers. Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy, becoming increasingly so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter, with its major branches, the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, are proud to be part of the Louisiana agricultural industry, and we are committed to serving that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2017 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2017. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and other agencies — both private and public — compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that constitute our vital agricultural industries. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy with economic benefits and job creation from value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
With the effects of excessive rainfall and flooding during 2016 still fresh on the minds of most producers, there were significant concerns about the 2017 production year, which started in a similar fashion. The 2017 calendar year began with mild temperatures and optimal soil moisture. This helped spur early planting for many commodities and helped establish strong yield potential early in the growing season. However, a continuation of heavy rainfall throughout much of the state began to erode these nearly ideal growing conditions. Rainfall from April 2017 through August 2017 was nearly 16 inches higher than average (a 72 percent increase). Tropical Storm Cindy, which hit the state in June 2017, and the remnants of Hurricane Harvey, which hit in late August 2017, helped add to those rainfall totals and brought heavy winds and storms that are believed to impact pollination for some crops and impact quality for others. While the significant rainfall did help limit irrigation needs and costs, it also likely interfered with timely applications of inputs and further hindered production potential. Fortunately, however, weather began to improve dramatically in September, and favorable conditions lasted for most of the remainder of the year. For some crops, this helped limit impacts and allowed for record or near-record yields. However, for most crops, the improvement in weather conditions was not enough to fully capture the production potential that existed at the start of the growing season. For other crops, the improvement was too late to reverse both the yield and quality stresses from the wet period.
Despite the challenging weather conditions in 2017, yields for most row crop commodities showed improvement over the weather-impacted levels of 2016. Leading the way were sugar yields that reached record levels and were nearly 9 percent higher than 2016. Corn and soybeans also experienced significant yield increases in 2017 versus the previous year and were within a few bushels of reaching record levels. Other commodities experiencing increases in yield in 2017 were rice, wheat, sweet potatoes, peanuts and many vegetable crops. For cotton and grain sorghum, the good start to the growing season was not enough to overcome the difficulties caused by the excessively wet summer and saw yields fall by 6 and 4 percent, respectively, from the previous year.
While the overall production year could generally be viewed as a success for most commodities, the same could not be said for the marketing environment during 2017. For many commodities, the 2017 calendar year saw a continuation in the trend of the last three to four years of low commodity prices. Increasing supplies and stocks have continued to outpace demand and place downward pressure on prices. Row crop commodities that experienced lower prices for the calendar year 2017 included rice, soybeans, corn, grain sorghum and sweet potatoes sold in the fresh market. Cotton and wheat prices were up during 2017 as lower supplies caused by lower acreage or weather-related yield reductions helped to support prices. Sugar prices were also up slightly as supply and demand conditions continued to support that market despite increased production.
Unlike the row crop sector, the overall price scenario for the livestock sector had a much more positive tone for the 2017 calendar year. While still at significant discounts from levels seen earlier in the decade, beef cattle prices seemed to stabilize somewhat in 2017 after a couple of years of declining prices. While prices did not increase across all types and classifications of cattle, prices for heavier feeder steers and heifers were marginally higher as cheap feed costs and strong beef demand helped to counteract the impacts of higher cattle numbers and increased beef production. Despite the marginally higher prices, profitability in the cattle industry remains significantly lower than the levels experienced earlier in the decade. Lower profitability is likely being reflected in the lower prices being seen for replacement and cull breeding cattle. Prices for sheep and goats were also mostly higher in 2017 as lower overall U.S. production and stable demand helped to support prices. Milk prices were also marginally higher during the 2017 calendar year because of stable production and slightly improved demand. While the higher milk prices are welcomed, they remain at levels that will continue to place pressure on the profitability of dairy operations and will likely not be sufficient to break the trend of decreasing dairy numbers in the state. Finally, broiler prices were also higher during the 2017 calendar year as increased demand help support prices despite higher production levels.
Prices for the fisheries and wildlife enterprises were mostly mixed. Prices for both farm-raised and wild-caught crawfish were lower than the previous year as the continued expansion of crawfish production begins to outpace still strong demand. Likewise, prices for both farm-raised and wild-caught alligators were lower as higher production and stagnant demand pressured prices. Other fisheries commodities experiencing lower prices during the reporting year were crabs, oysters and soft-shell crabs. For other commodities, including freshwater and saltwater finfish, prices were higher than the previous year. Likewise, prices for menhaden were also reported slightly higher, and shrimp prices were nearly 12 percent higher than the previous year, ending the trend of the previous three years of lower prices.
While the production and price challenges faced by individual commodities and producers did vary considerably in 2017, the overall improvement in production levels and the ability for many commodity prices to stabilize and show slight improvements helped to increase the total economic activity associated with the Louisiana agriculture, forestry and fishery industries. The total gross farm value (the amount of revenue estimated to be generated by producers from the sale of their commodities) for the Louisiana agriculture, forestry and fishery industries was up over 7 percent from the previous year. Leading the way for the increase were the plant enterprises, which saw their collective gross farm value increase by more than 9 percent from the previous year. A combination of higher acreage and stronger production levels more than offset stagnant prices. Significant increases in gross farm value for cotton, forestry, soybeans, sugarcane, sweet potatoes and vegetables more than offset reductions in feed grains, fruits and rice. The collective gross farm value of the fisheries and wildlife enterprises was up more than 7 percent, with increases in the freshwater and marine fisheries leading the way. The animal enterprises saw the smallest increase in the collective gross farm value, with about a 3 percent increase. Increases in the gross farm value of poultry, sheep and goats were mostly offset by decreases for beef cattle, milk and horses.
Commodities produced by agricultural producers are cleaned, processed and packaged at the next stages of the marketing channel. These value-added activities create additional economic activity over and above that defined by the gross farm value. In 2017, these value-added activities were estimated to have an additional economic impact of $5.4 billion. Taken together, the gross farm value and value-added activities were estimated to have a total economic impact of nearly $11.8 billion. This represents an increase of more than 7 percent from 2016 and is the first year-over-year increase since the 2014 year. Given the level of economic activity that the state’s agriculture, forestry and fishery industries continue to generate each year, it is undeniable that they continue to be major contributors to the overall state economy. Cutting-edge research programs and extension education and outreach efforts of the LSU AgCenter remain critical to sustaining these economic benefits.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. However, for those who work in it day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor and an economic engine. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or fishing villages for generations, following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, long hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers. Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy, becoming increasingly so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter, with its major branches of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we are committed to serving that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2016 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2016. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy with the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
The production and marketing environments experienced in 2016 will likely make this one of the most challenging ever faced by producers. For many, the 2016 production year was just a continuation of the difficulties experienced in 2015 which saw excessive rains early in the year followed by drought conditions. Difficult production conditions began almost immediately in 2016 with the northern part of the state experiencing historic rainfall and flooding in March. Rainfall in excess of 30 inches fell in many areas of the state causing a multitude of issues for livestock and crop producers. Rains, while fewer and of lower magnitude, continued to persist from much of April and into May. This led to additional backwater flooding throughout much of North Louisiana. At the same time, excessive rains and flooding also impacted the Southeastern part of the state. While the severity and extent of the impact was significantly lower than experienced in the northern part of the state, it still created significant difficulties for many producers.
While June and July brought a return to more normal production conditions, it was short-lived as another round of historic rainfall and flooding hit the state in August. The southern part of the state felt the brunt of this weather event with many areas once again receiving
in excess of 30 inches of rain. And while not as severely impacted, the persistent rains that followed for much of September and into October created additional hardships for producers in the central and northern parts of the state as harvest delays impacted both the quantity and quality of agricultural commodities. The LSU AgCenter estimated that the total economic impact of the difficulties caused by the March and August floods and the persistent rains that followed was over $365 million to the Louisiana agricultural industry. Thankfully, weather conditions improved into October and helped create very favorable harvest conditions for many of the late harvested commodities. While the dryer harvest conditions for much of the remainder of 2016 helped harvest efficiency for some commodities, the negative impact of the excessive rains and flooding in August and September far exceeded any positives generated by the dry fall for most commodities.
By all accounts, the 2016 production year was extremely challenging for most agricultural industries. However, the exact nature and extent of the damage was highly influenced by the commodity’s stage of production at the timeof the adverse weather conditions. In some cases, the impact was not necessarily related to production losses but more related to quality losses and increased production costs. As such, there was a high degree of variability in average production levels experienced by different commodities in 2016. For some commodities like cotton, soybeans, wheat, grain sorghum, and sugarcane, yields were anywhere from 5 to
31 percent higher in 2016 as compared to the previous year. For some, like sugarcane, very favorable harvest conditions helped to generate near record sugar recovery and push total sugar produced per acre to high levels despite sugarcane tonnage being down. For others, the increase in yields in 2016 versus 2015 likely had more to do with the extremely low yields experienced in 2015 due to drought conditions than it did with strong productivity in 2016. In fact, for these commodities, while yields moved closer to average or typical yields, they were still at discounted levels to those experienced in 2014.
For other commodities, the impact of the adverse weather conditions definitely was reflected in estimated yields for 2016. Yields for corn, rice, sweet potatoes, and many fruits and vegetables were down considerably from 2015. Corn yields were down by nearly 5 percent as heavy rains delayed harvest and had both yield and quality impacts. Similarly, heavy rains and flooding delayed harvest, reduced harvest efficiency, and limited second crop opportunities for rice production. Total rice yields were down roughly 4 percent in 2016. Sweet potatoes were probably the most significantly impacted commodity as persistent rains delayed harvest and helped to reduce total yields by nearly 20 percent versus 2015. Excessive rains and flooding also created significant yield reductions for several fruit and vegetable crops with reductions for some commodities reaching as high as 30 percent.
Adding to the production difficulties were the stagnant or lower commodity prices experienced in 2016. Starting in the last half of 2014, commodity prices for many of the state’s large agronomic commodities began to experience significant downward momentum. This downward trend in prices continued in 2016 for many commodities. For others, while prices remain relatively unchanged from 2015, they continue to remain at severely discounted levels from those experienced just 3 or 4 years ago. For the plant commodities, rice, corn, grain sorghum, and wheat all saw significant reductions in prices in 2016. While cotton and soybean prices in 2016 were slightly higher than the previous year, they still remain at significant reductions from the period of strong prices in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s. Sugar prices
is one of the few commodities in which prices have been able to and continue to sustain at historically strong levels.
For animal enterprises, the largest reduction in prices were experienced by the beef cattle industry. After several years of record levels, prices for all classes of cattle experienced in 2016 were roughly half of the levels seen in 2015. While this sharp downturn in prices creates more challenges for the industry, cattle prices still remain at historically favorable levels. Milk prices continued to come under pressure and currently hoover at or below breakeven levels. The inability of milk prices to make a sustained move to more profitable levels continues to be a major factor to the trend of lower numbers of dairy operations in the state. Broiler production was one of the animal enterprises that did see marginally higher prices in 2016. However, prices for other sectors of the poultry industry, like egg production, saw slightly lower prices in 2016.
Finally, for the fisheries and wildlife enterprises, prices were generally mixed. Crawfish prices were up roughly 2 percent in 2016 as the industry continues to experience expansion
in both production and demand. Minor increases in prices were also experienced in the freshwater fisheries as well as for the oyster and farm raised catfish industries. However, prices for all of the marine fisheries industries were down in 2016 with shrimp experiencing the largest reduction at nearly 40 percent from 2015.
While the difficulties faced by individual commodities and producers can and did vary considerably in 2016, the general impact of adverse weather conditions and lower commodity prices was to reduce the total economic activity associated with the Louisiana agriculture, forestry, and fishery industries. The total gross farm value (the amount of revenue estimated to be generated by producers from the sale of their commodities) for the Louisiana agriculture, forestry and fishery industries was down nearly 9 percent from the previous year. Leading the way for the reduction were the animal enterprises which saw their collective gross farm value fall by over 23 percent from the previous year. The main culprit in this reduction was the sharply lower cattle prices experienced in 2016. Both the fisheries and wildlife enterprises and the plant enterprises saw their collective gross farm values fall by roughly 1 percent. For fisheries and wildlife enterprises, the reduction in the gross farm value of marine fisheries more than offset gains experienced in aquaculture production and hunting leases. Large reductions in gross farm value of rice, sweet potatoes and wheat led the way for the reductions experienced in the collective gross farm value for plant enterprises.
When the commodities produced by agricultural producers are cleaned, processed, and packaged at the next stages of the marketing channel, these value-added activities create additional economic activity over and above that defined by the gross farm value. In 2016, these value-added activities were estimated to have an additional economic impact of over
$5 billion. Taken together, the gross farm value and value-added activities were estimated to have a total economic impact of nearly $11 billion. Though the struggles of 2016 resulted in this number being a 8 percent reduction from 2015 and a 11 percent reduction from 2014, it is still undeniable that the state’s agriculture, forestry, and fishery industries are major contributors to the overall state’s economy. Cutting-edge research programs and extension education and outreach efforts of the LSU AgCenter remain critical to sustaining these economic benefits.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. However, for those who work in it day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor and an economic engine. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers. Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy, becoming increasingly so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter, with its major branches of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we are committed to serving that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2015 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2015. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analyses focus on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy with the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
After three consecutive years of nearly ideal growing conditions and record production, the 2015 production year was one of extremes and significant challenges for the agricultural sector. Although the year started out very similar to 2014 with wet conditions, it did not have the uncharacteristically cool temperatures during much of the spring and early summer as was the case in 2014. Higher temperatures, and particularly much higher nighttime temperatures, created significantly more stress on commodities and limited production potential. In addition, heavy rainfall in Louisiana and throughout many northern states created excessive flooding along the Red and Sabine rivers to blunt agricultural production. Excessive rains and higher temperatures in the spring devastated the 2015 winter wheat crop. Reduced yields and poor quality from high disease pressure reduced farm gate wheat values by nearly 50 percent for many producers.
The wet conditions that persisted through May and into June 2015 quickly vanished as temperatures reached triple digit levels, and rainfall came to an abrupt stop. Drought conditions started to develop in July and remained through most of the next two months in many areas of the state, with over half of the state characterized as being in either a severe or extreme drought by the end of September.
Dryland crops, hay and forage production were all significantly affected. For irrigated cropland, production was also crippled by excessive heat, and their production costs rose due to increased irrigation requirements.
The excessively hot and dry conditions did, however, support timely harvest of most crops and helped limit the issues being faced by producers. But, just like the rest of the year, conditions soon changed with a return of excessive rainfall. In many areas of the state, as much as 30 inches of rain fell between October and December. This debilitated harvest efficiency for sugarcane production and reduced sugar recovery for many operations. It also severely limited the ability to plant the 2016 winter wheat crop, resulting in the lowest planted acres levels in the state since the late 1970s.
Although extremes in weather conditions during a crop year often create a variety of challenges for agricultural producers, they do not always cause significant reductions in production. Unfortunately, that was likely not the case in 2015. Average yields for many of the state’s major row crop commodities fell significantly in 2015. Year-to-year decreases in yields ranged from a low of 6 percent for corn production to a high of more than 40 percent for wheat production. In fact, the only major row crop commodity that did not experience year-to-year decreases in average yield was sugarcane. Higher sugarcane tonnage in 2015 offset lower sugar recovery from wet conditions at harvest.
In addition to the production struggles experienced in 2015, agricultural producers also had to deal with lower commodity prices. After several years of historically strong prices, many commodities experienced strikingly lower prices in 2015. Consecutive years of production growth and expansion simply had outpaced demand growth for many commodities. This has placed considerable pressure on prices. Although prices did not decline for every commodity grown in Louisiana, the overall trend in prices for 2015 was definitely lower. This drop was especially true for major row crop commodities with only sugar prices experiencing marginal price improvement in 2015. The remaining major row crop commodities all experienced lower prices in 2015, ranging from a low of 2 percent for grain sorghum to a high of 23 percent for soybeans.
The price situation for livestock enterprises in 2015 was more mixed with several enterprises experiencing year-to-year increases. Prices for most classes of cattle were marginally higher in 2015. Much of that increase, however, was attributable to strong prices early in 2015. By the end of 2015, cattle prices had experienced sharp declines and remained at significant discounts. Prices associated with dairy enterprises also were mixed, with dairy cattle prices being higher, but milk prices being nearly 26 percent lower than in 2014. Finally, for poultry enterprises, prices were lower across all classes of poultry ranging from a low of a 3 percent reduction to a high of 8 percent.
Despite any difficulty individual producers may have experienced in 2015, collectively producers experienced only modest declines in economic value for the state’s agricultural commodities. The 2015 total gross farm gate value for the agricultural industry was $6.5 billion, a decrease of 8 percent from the previous year. Plant enterprises dropped significantly in gross farm gate values to $3.5 billion in 2015, a 15 percent decrease, due to much lower returns for soybeans, rice, feed grains and cotton.
Animal enterprises generated an estimated $2.2 billion in gross farm gate value in 2015, essentially the same as 2014. Leading the way was the beef cattle industry, which experienced a 7 percent increase from the previous year. Slightly higher number of cattle for sale helped push farm gate values higher for beef cattle. Improvements in this industry were enough to offset the reductions seen in poultry enterprises, which decreased 6 percent in 2015 from 2014 values.
Leading the way for the $838 million in gross farm gate value generated for the fisheries and wildlife enterprises were the marine fisheries and aquaculture industries. Increased marine fisheries landings, particularly shrimp, in 2014, the year reported, accompanied with higher prices, reflect the continued recovery of Gulf fisheries from devastation of the oil spill suffered in 2009.
The aquaculture sector was primarily driven by the farm-raised crawfish producers, who increased production slightly with higher harvested yields that to some degree helped offset slightly lower prices. Farm-gate value from farm-raised alligators was strong again in 2015 due to high wholesale prices for both hides and meat. This increased revenue from both crawfish and alligator production helped boost total value of aquaculture in Louisiana in 2015.
With the increased production experienced in certain agricultural sectors in 2015, value-added activities associated with those sectors of agricultural production also increased. When those commodities were cleaned, processed and packaged, the value-added was estimated to be $5.5 billion. Taken together with farm gate values, value-added activities helped to generate $12.0 billion in economic impact to the state of Louisiana in 2015. Though this represents a 3 percent decrease over 2014, it demonstrates that the agriculture industry continues to be a significant contributor to the state’s economy. Cutting-edge research programs and extension education and outreach efforts remain critical to sustaining these significant economic benefits.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern, southwestern and south central Louisiana. Forestry production occurs mostly in the state’s northwestern hill parishes, and fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although aquaculture production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana Delta area.
For those who work in it day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor and an economic engine. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy, becoming increasingly so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter, with its major branches of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we are committed to serving that industry and residents across the state of Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2014 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2014. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy with the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
-
2013 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2013. Agents and specialists of the LSU AgCenter’s Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other public and private agencies, compiled the data. Their analysis focused on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that make up our vital agricultural and natural resource industries
Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy and have the potential for even more increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities across Louisiana. The estimated total for 2013 exceeds $11.8 billion, and $4.9 of that was from such value-added industries.
Since the mid-2000s, the agricultural industry has experienced a shift in production as market signals induced movement away from commodities such as cotton and rice to feed grains and soybeans. The 2013 production year did little to change those trends as Louisiana experienced increases in corn and soybean acres and saw cotton acres fall to historical lows. Acreage shifts likely would have been even more dramatic in 2013 had it not been for some less-than-ideal weather conditions during portions of the planting season.
Coming off the 2012 production year in which record yields were set for several commodities, there was much anticipation for the 2013 production year. For the most part, the 2013 production year followed a pattern very similar to that of 2012. While warmer winter temperatures brought concerns of the potential for increased pest pressure, adequate winter rainfall resulted in generally favorable moisture to start the 2013 growing season. Favorable weather conditions persisted through the early part of the planting season, allowing the planting of many of the early planted commodities to progress at or better than historical rates.
On the other hand, unusually cool temperatures in April and the first part of May 2013, along with increased rainfall, helped to slow planting and crop development. The coolerand wetter-than-normal conditions in Louisiana also were prevalent throughout much of the United States and created significant uncertainty about production potential for most of the major row crops. Fortunately, improved conditions returned both in Louisiana and much of the country. While temperatures warmed, they remained below normal levels for much of the summer. That, along with opportune rainfall for the remaining growing season, allowed most of the row crops to continue to develop and mature under nearly ideal conditions. The results were record yields for many of the state’s row crops. State yield records were set for cotton, rice, corn, grain sorghum, soybeans and sweet potatoes. In addition, adequate moisture and cooler summertime temperatures also benefited the livestock sector, putting less stress on livestock and helping to create favorable growing conditions for forages and hay.
While the 2013 production year proved to be one of the best on record, the same cannot be said for the market situation for many of these commodities. After experiencing several years of historically high prices, record production in 2013 for the feed grain and soybean markets helped to push prices lower over the last half of 2013. Likewise, after experiencing significant declines in 2012, sugar prices continued to soften in 2013 as strong production continued pressure on the supply-and-demand balance. For other commodities like rice and cotton, however, slightly improved supply-and-demand fundamentals helped prices move marginally higher in 2013. Also, a slightly improving economy and tight supply levels helped to maintain and improve the price situation for much of the livestock sector.
Despite any difficulty producers may have experienced individually in 2013, producers collectively enjoyed record or nearly record yields and historically strong prices for many of the state’s agricultural commodities for the second year in a row. This resulted in total gross farm-gate value for the agricultural industry of $6.9 billion in 2013, an increase of 4 percent from the previous year. Plant enterprises experienced increases in gross farm-gate values, moving from $4.1 billion in 2012 to $4.2 billion in 2013, a 1 percent increase, due to strong returns from record yields for rice, feed grains and soybeans in 2013.
The 2013 gross farm-gate values of animal enterprises experienced increases of 10 percent from the 2012 values. Animal enterprises generated an estimated $2.1 billion in gross farm-gate value in 2013. Leading the way were the beef cattle and poultry industries, which experienced 18 and 6 percent increases, respectively, from the previous year. For beef cattle, significantly higher cattle prices helped push farm-gate values higher, while expanded production and slightly improved prices were the chief factors in the growth experienced by the poultry industry. Improvements in those two industries, with strong showings in the horse and dairy sectors, were more than enough to offset the slight reductions seen in some of the more minor animal enterprises.
Leading the way for the $658 million in gross farm-gate value generated by fisheries and wildlife enterprises were the marine fisheries and aquaculture industries. Increased marine fisheries landings in 2012 (the year reported for that sector), accompanied by higher prices, reflect the continued recovery of Gulf fisheries from the devastation of the oil spill experienced in 2009. The aquaculture sector was driven primarily by the farm-raised crawfish producers, who increased production slightly with higher harvests that helped offset lower prices to some degree. Farm-gate value from farm-raised alligators was substantially higher due to higher wholesale prices for both hides and meat. This increased alligator production revenue helped boost total value of aquaculture in Louisiana for 2013.
With the increased production experienced in many of the agricultural sectors in 2012, value-added activities associated with agricultural production also increased in 2013. When those commodities were cleaned, processed and packaged, the value added was estimated to be $4.9 billion. Taken together with farm-gate values, value-added activities helped to generate $11.8 billion in total economic contributions to Louisiana during 2013. This represents a 4 percent increase from 2012 and shows that the agricultural and natural resource industries continue to be significant contributors to the state’s economy. Cutting-edge research programs and extension education and outreach efforts remain critical to sustaining these significant economic benefits.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern, southwestern and south central Louisiana. Forestry production occurs mostly in the state’s hill parishes, and fisheries production takes place mainly along the coast, although aquacultural production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana delta area.
For each person who works in these industries day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor or an economic engine. They truly are a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms or forestlands or in these fishing villages for generations. They have been, and continue to be, following a preferred way of life – even though it means hard work, long hours, high risks and sometimes even low income.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs, as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy and is becoming increasingly more so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a welltrained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter (with its major branches of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station) are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural and natural resource industries, and we are committed to serving those industries and citizens across Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2012 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2012. Agents and specialists in the LSU AgCenter, as well as other representatives of other private and public agencies, compiled the data. Their analysis focused on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that make up our vital agricultural industries.
Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy – an estimated $11.4 billion in 2012 – and they have the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities across Louisiana.
As the year began, a warm and relatively wet winter posed the threat of increased weed, disease and insect problems for crops in 2012. Then a relatively wet spring delayed planting of some crops and threatened to shift crop enterprise mixes. But weather conditions improved as the season progressed – meaning that although some commodities and some areas of the state experienced pest problems, widespread effects never materialized. As a result, while many areas of the country experienced severe drought conditions during the growing season, Louisiana agricultural industries overall experienced positive weather conditions with timely rainfall.
Those positive conditions prevailed for most of the growing season, although the optimistic view of 2012 was somewhat shaken when Hurricane Isaac hit near the end of August. With many of the major row crop commodities close to harvest at that time, rains and winds from a major storm could have created widespread damage to the state’s agricultural sector. Thankfully, although the storm affected much of the state in some way, its damage was less than anticipated, and the major part of the damage was limited to the southeastern portion of the state. In addition, dry and cool conditions that followed the storm allowed distressed crops to recover and provided for excellent harvest efficiency, which also limited damage.
While Hurricane Isaac caused damage for some commodities and certain portions of the state, the 2012 production year, as a whole, was characterized by record or near record yields from many commodities. Although commodities like citrus, pecans and some vegetables were negatively affected by the storm, favorable weather conditions throughout much of the growing and harvest seasons resulted in record yields for most of the state’s row crop commodities. Record yields were set for corn, soybeans, grain sorghum and rice, and even though Hurricane Isaac likely limited some production for cotton and sugarcane, those crops also had near record yields.
Despite some of the concerns producers typically face each year, the 2012 production year must be viewed as positive. This is particularly true about commodity prices. With much of the United States facing severe drought conditions, commodity prices for feed grains and oilseeds approached record levels. The higher feed grain prices helped push prices significantly higher for most livestock commodities. Even for commodities like cotton and rice, which did not experience the same type of price appreciation, 2012 prices remained marginally higher than the previous year. The only major row crop commodity that didn’t have better prices in 2012 was sugar. Even in that instance, however, extremely strong yields and sugar recovery helped to minimize the effects of lower prices.
Despite some of the difficulty associated with Hurricane Isaac, record or near record yields and historically strong prices for many of the state’s agricultural commodities resulted in total gross farm-gate value for the agricultural industries being $6.6 billion in 2012, an increase of 10 percent from the previous year. Plant enterprises experienced increases in gross farm-gate values, moving from $3.8 billion in 2011 to $4.1 billion in 2012, a 7 percent increase, due primarily to strong returns for feed grains and soybeans in 2012.
The gross farm-gate values of both the animal enterprises and fisheries and wildlife enterprises experienced significant increases in value in 2012, with each experiencing 13-15 percent change from 2011 values. Animal enterprises generated an estimated $1.9 billion in gross farm-gate value in 2012. Leading the way were the beef cattle and poultry industries, with each experiencing more than 20 percent increases from the previous year. Improvements in those two industries were more than enough to offset the reductions seen in the dairy, horses and some of the more minor animal enterprises.
Leading the way for the $643 million in gross farm-gate value generated for the fisheries and wildlife enterprises were the marine fisheries, fur animals and wild caught alligator industries. Increased marine fisheries landings in 2011, the year reported, accompanied by higher prices, reflect the continued recovery of Gulf fisheries from devastation of the oil spill suffered in 2010. The improvements seen in those industries more than offset reductions experienced in some of the aquaculture and freshwater fisheries sectors.
With the increased production experienced in many of the agricultural sectors in 2012, value-added activities associated with agricultural production also increased in 2012. When commodities were cleaned, processed and packaged, the value added was estimated to be $4.7 billion. Taken together with total farm-gate values of $6.7 billion, those value-added activities helped to generate a combined $11.4 billion in economic contributions to the state of Louisiana in 2012. That represents a 7 percent increase over 2011 and shows agricultural industries continue to be significant contributors to the state’s economy, even in years when drought and other adverse conditions create hardships for agricultural producers.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern, southwestern and south central Louisiana. Forestry production occurs mostly in the state’s hill parishes, and fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although aquaculture production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana delta area.
For those who work in them day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor and an economic engine. These pursuits truly are a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or fishing villages for generations, following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs, as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers. Cutting-edge research and innovative extension education/outreach are critical to sustaining the significant economic benefits agriculture and natural resources possess for our state.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy; becoming increasingly more so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists. Those of us in the LSU AgCenter are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we are committed to serving that industry and the citizens across Louisiana in all the years ahead.
-
2011 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication presents the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2011. Agents and specialists of the LSU AgCenter’s Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other public and private agencies, compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy and carry with them the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
During the 2011 production year, growing conditions were about as diverse as any producers had experienced before. Early in the growing season, many areas of the state were dealing with flooding and excess moisture associated with flooding along the Mississippi River, including the Morganza Spillway that the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers opened during the spring. During part of the same growing season, however, producers in some of the flooded areas and other areas of the state also experienced drought conditions that persisted for much of the growing and harvest seasons. The dry conditions hampered producers for most of the year and caused reduced yields and increased production costs. But, on a somewhat positive note, those dry conditions continued into late summer and fall and created nearly ideal harvest conditions for most commodities. This helped increase harvest efficiency and reduce harvest costs for most producers.
While early flooding certainly affected the crops of many producers, the drought conditions that persisted for much of the year had the biggest effect on the state’s agricultural industry. As with most instances of adverse weather conditions, yield and production reductions were experienced. But the biggest consequences of the 2011 drought were increased production costs. Although increased irrigation helped to limit the effects on yields, it sharply increased production costs, particularly as fuel and other energy costs increased through the summer. In addition, a lack of forage forced many cattle producers to sell cattle at reduced weights or increase their production costs by increasing feed purchased to supplement low forage levels. Unfortunately, since grain prices were at record highs throughout most of 2011, this was not a financially viable option for some livestock producers. In extreme cases, producers were forced to liquidate portions of their cow herd.
Despite the difficult production environment, the total gross farm-gate value for the agricultural industry was $6.1 billion in 2011, up by more then 10 percent from the previous year. Plant enterprises experienced the largest increase – with farmgate values increasing from $3.3 billion in 2010 to $3.8 billion in 2011, a 17 percent increase. Stronger commodity prices and larger acreage for many commodities helped to offset any yield reductions that resulted from drought conditions. In fact, due to increased irrigation and optimal harvest conditions, the majority of the plant enterprises reported yields for 2011 that were at or above the 2010 levels. The only major plant enterprises that had significant yield reductions or declines in total production in 2011 were hay, corn, soybeans and grain sorghum. In each instance, however, increased acreage in 2011 offset the adverse effects from reduced yield on gross farm-gate value. Of the plant enterprises, only rice and forestry had significant gross farm-gate reductions from 2010. The reduction in rice was primarily a function of significantly lower acreage planted in 2011, while the reduction in forestry was a function of lower production in response to continued pressure on prices related to the slowdown in the economy.
The gross farm-gate values of both the animal enterprises and fisheries and wildlife enterprises were mostly unchanged in 2011, with each experiencing less than a 1 percent change from 2010 values. Increases in beef cattle and dairy were mostly offset by decreases in horses and poultry. So animal enterprises were up less than 1 percent to $1.69 billion in 2011. Increased cattle sales due to drought conditions and significantly sharper prices for cattle and milk helped pushed gross farm gate value for both above 2010 levels. Reductions in total poultry production in response to slightly weaker prices in 2011 left poultry’s gross farm value slightly lower than 2010 levels. For fisheries and wildlife commodities, reductions in marine fisheries based on lower landings helped to offset the continued expansion of the aquaculture sector and, in particular, crawfish production. The total gross farm-gate value for the fisheries and wildlife enterprises was reported at $569 million, down less than 1 percent from the previous year.
With the increased production experienced in many of the agricultural sectors in 2011, “value added” activities associated with agricultural production also increased in 2011. When those commodities were cleaned, processed and packaged, the value added brought in another $4.6 billion, up by 3.5 percent from 2010. Taken together with farm-gate values, value-added activities helped to generate a $10.7 billion contribution to the Louisiana economy in 2011. This represents a 7 percent increase from 2010 levels and shows that the agricultural industry continues to be a significant contributor to the state’s economy even in years when drought and other adverse conditions create hardships for agricultural producers. Cutting-edge research programs and extension education and outreach efforts remain critical to sustaining these significant economic benefits.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern, southwestern and south central Louisiana. Forestry production occurs mostly in the state’s hill parishes, and fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although aquacultural production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana delta area.
For those who work in it day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor and an economic engine. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forestlands or fishing villages for generations – following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours and high risks that sometimes still result in low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs, as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy and it becomes increasingly more so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter (with its major branches of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station) are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural and natural resource industries, and we are committed to serving those industries and the citizens across the state of Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2010 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2010. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. Agricultural and natural resource industries contribute significantly to our state’s economy with the potential for increased economic benefits and job creation through value-added processing in urban and rural communities throughout Louisiana.
The 2010 production year was much improved over the previous two years for most in the state’s food and fiber sector. After struggling with hurricanes in 2008 and excessive rains in 2009, the 2010 production year and, more specifically, the 2010 harvest season were vastly improved. The production and harvest year were not, however, uneventful. After a fairly good planting season, weather conditions turned dry and remained dry across the state for much of the growing season. Dry conditions and hot temperatures affected yields of crops harvested early and had an effect on forage availability and hay production in the livestock sector. Late-season rains provided some relief for later-harvested crops, and the nearly ideal conditions that were experienced helped many producers harvest quickly and efficiently.
Improved growing and harvest conditions resulted in increased year-to-year production levels for many row crops. Virtually ideal harvest conditions helped bring yields for commodities such as cotton, sweet potatoes and soybeans back to and above trend-line levels. In addition, improving domestic and international economies created significant optimism for demand prospects over the last half of 2010 and resulted in sharply higher commodity prices for most row crop and livestock commodities. The increases of commodity prices to record or near-record levels certainly helped to improve the profitability outlook for producers heading into the end of the year and helped to offset rising fuel and fertilizer prices experienced at the end of 2010.
While relatively dry conditions during the winter of 2010-2011 have created some issues for livestock producers with winter forage production and have increased the need for ample rains during the spring of 2011 to replenish soil moisture, the general condition of the food and fiber sector is much improved when compared to the previous year. Stronger commodity prices have generally created a very optimistic outlook for the sector, despite rising input costs.
Although Louisiana’s agriculture and natural resource industries certainly encountered many challenges in 2010, the state’s producers were able to generate farm-gate sales totaling $5.5 billion during the year. When those commodities were cleaned, processed and packaged, the value added brought in another $4.4 billion, for a total contribution to our state’s economy of $9.9 billion. While farm-gate values and levels for value added for specific commodities may vary from year to year because of changes in output caused by weather problems, lower or higher commodity prices or significant changes in acreages, the food and fiber sector continues to be vital to the state’s economy. Cutting-edge research programs and extension education and outreach efforts remain critical to sustaining these significant economic benefits.
Many Louisiana communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern, southwestern and south central Louisiana. Forestry production occurs mostly in the state’s hill parishes, and fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although the aquacultural production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana delta area.
For those who work in it day in and day out, agriculture, forestry and fisheries are far more than a business, a major job contributor and an economic engine. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy; becoming increasingly more so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter (with its major branches of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station) are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we are committed to serving that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2009 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2009. Agents and specialists of the LSU AgCenter’s Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as those in other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. The agricultural industry continues to contribute significantly to the state’s economy and has the potential for increased benefits through value-added processing.
The 2009 production year was another challenging one for many in the state’s food and fiber sector. As a consequence of the downturn in both the domestic and international economies, there was much less optimism regarding agricultural revenue heading into 2009. For many agricultural producers, a consequence of hurricanes Gustav and Ike was a significant need for improved production and profitability in 2009. Although lower input costs, led by reductions in fuel and fertilizer prices, helped create a more positive financial foundation for producers, this was quickly overshadowed by lower commodity prices and a production year that proved to be one of extremes. Early season drought conditions were followed by heavy and persistent rains for much of September and October, creating significant harvest delays and resulting in both quantity and quality reductions for many of the state’s row crop and forage producers.
While agricultural products often are considered less susceptible to downturns in the economy than other consumer goods, the prolonged nature of the current recession had dampened consumer confidence and decreased demand throughout the state’s food and fiber sector. For most commodities, lower prices certainly were an expression of lower demand and reduced speculative investment in agricultural commodity markets. Lower home starts created difficulties for the state’s forestry sector, with mills either curtailing or ceasing operations. Lower demand also was one of the factors leading to the closing of a major poultry processing facility in the state. Although that plant has been purchased and reopened, it currently is operating at significantly reduced capacities. This had implications for the livestock sector in 2009 and will likely continue to affect that sector into the future, at least until the facility returns to full capacity.
The adverse weather conditions that hampered the agricultural sector at the end of the 2009 production year unfortunately persisted into early 2010. A significantly colder- and wetter-than-normal winter limited producer’s ability to repair fields affected by harvesting under less-than-ideal conditions. If these weather patterns continue to persist through the spring, such conditions could have a substantial impact on crop acreage and production in 2010 – particularly if producers are forced to shift acres from commodity to commodity due to their inability to get certain crops planted in a timely fashion.
While the agricultural sector certainly encountered many challenges in 2009, it was able to generate farm gate sales totaling $4.9 billion. When those commodities were cleaned, processed and packaged, the value added brought in nearly $3.4 billion. That meant a total contribution to our state’s economy of nearly $8.3 billion.
While farm-gate values and levels for value added for specific commodities may have changed noticeably from the previous year, due to lower output caused by late-season weather problems, lower commodity prices or significant changes in acreages, the food and fiber sector continues to be vital to the state’s economy. Cutting-edge research and extension education and outreach efforts remain critical to sustaining these significant economic benefits.
Many communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and economic well-being. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern, southwestern, and south central Louisiana. Forestry production is mostly in the hill parishes, and fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although the aquaculture production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana delta.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are more than a business and major job contributor to those who work the industries day in and day out. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms or forest lands or in these fishing villages for generations – following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, long hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs, as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy; becoming increasingly more so every year. That is the reason we at the LSU AgCenter continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU Agricultural Center (the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station) are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we are committed to serving that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana in the years ahead.
-
2008 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This publication tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2008. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. The agricultural industry continues to contribute significantly to the state’s economy with the potential for increased benefits through value-added processing.
The 2008 production year for the food and fiber sector of the state started with as much optimism as has been experienced in several years. Two years removed from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, agricultural production in the state had essentially completed its long road to recovery from the immediate and lingering effects of the storms. Strong domestic and international demand for many agricultural commodities, the growing interest in biofuel production and increased activity of speculative buyers in agriculture futures markets all helped to create significantly higher prices for many agricultural commodities.
This optimism was fairly short-lived as sharp increases in many input prices quickly eroded projected profit margins for producers. Although this was felt throughout the agricultural and forestry industries, the impact was greater for commodities whose price increases failed to keep pace with increasing production costs. And just as the projected financial situation of agricultural producers became more precarious so, too, did the production environment.
While less-than-ideal weather conditions in the early part of 2008 created difficulty for some agricultural commodities, none were spared with the arrivals of hurricanes Gustav and Ike. These two hurricanes made landfall in Louisiana within one month of each other. Extreme rainfall associated with Hurricane Gustav inundated the agricultural sector. The tidal surge from Hurricane Ike, like that experienced during hurricanes Katrina and Rita, also had negative effects on agricultural production in 2008. Similarly, the aftermath of Hurricane Ike is expected to last for years – increasing salinity levels in soils and irrigation systems. Cotton, sweet potatoes, soybeans and pecan production bore the brunt of the storm, as a percentage of their average farm-gate values. For crops like rice and sugarcane, the effects of high salt levels on production and farm returns will not be fully realized until for the next few years.
What little optimism remained after record input costs and devastation from two major hurricanes was further tested by sharply lower commodity prices at the end of 2008. Although commodity prices reached record levels in the first half of 2008, growing concerns about general economic conditions and its implication for consumption and investment patterns, domestically and internationally, put tremendous downward pressure on commodity prices.
Although the agricultural sector certainly encountered many challenges in 2008, it was able to generate farm-gate sales totaling $5.3 billion. When those commodities were cleaned, processed and packaged, the value-added brought in nearly $4.1 billion, for a total contribution to our state’s economy of nearly $9.5 billion. Although farm-gate values and levels for value added for specific commodities may have changed noticeably from last year because of lower output caused by the hurricanes, lower commodity prices or significant changes in acreages, the food and fiber sector continues to be vital to the state’s economy. Cutting-edge research and extension education and outreach efforts remain critical to sustaining these significant economic benefits.
Many communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for local jobs and their economic well-being. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern, southwestern and south central Louisiana. Forestry production is mostly in the hill parishes, and the fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although the aquaculture production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana Delta.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are more than a business to those who work in it day-to-day. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or in fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
With the expansion of the biofuel industry, commodity prices have improved for certain commodities. However, as input costs continue to be at historical levels, however, prices received by producers will continue to be a serious concern. Each new production season has risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements and higher input costs, as well as uncertainty related to the weather. These conditions make the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever to our state’s producers.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy, becoming increasingly moreso every year. That is the reason we at the LSU Agricultural Center continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and campus/station-based research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU Agricultural Center (the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station) are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we will continue to serve that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana for years to come.
-
2007 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This book tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2007. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. The agricultural industry continues to contribute significantly to the state’s economy with the potential for increased benefits through value-added processing.
Two years ago, in the fall of 2005, Louisiana farmers, foresters, fishermen and ranchers faced unprecedented challenges associated with the devastation and destruction caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Although the financial implications of these storms have continued and likely will continue to be felt, Louisiana producers continue to adjust production and respond to the challenges.
Fortunately, some commodities were spared from extensive damage as their growing and harvesting seasons were generally complete by the time the as the storms hit the state. While other commodities have seen production levels rebound, financial consequences of the storms persist. With hurricane-related production difficulties in 2006 and with sharply higher input costs, many producers have found it increasingly difficult to recoup fully from the negative financial effects of the storms. Other commodities, such as forestry, likely will continue to experience long term effects of the storms given the extended production time for that commodity.
Heading into the 2007 growing season, another storm, of sorts, created a great deal of change in the agricultural industry. With the growing interest and focus of biofuel production, the Louisiana agricultural sector experienced unprecedented change in 2007. Historically high feed grain prices created much interest in corn, grain sorghum and wheat production among Louisiana producers. This increased interest resulted in substantial shifts in land use away from historically grown commodities such as cotton and rice into feed grains that had historically been relatively minor crops in the state. These unprecedented shifts in acreage created some difficulties in the state’s storage and transportation infrastructure as record levels of feed grains had to be moved through the marketing channel. The shift away from traditional commodities like cotton has raised concerns about the longterm viability of the infrastructure that has been built over the years to service that industry.
Along with the drastic acreage shifts, the other major issue facing agriculture in 2007 was the tremendous increase in energy costs. Double-digit percentage increases in fuel and fertilizer prices along with normal inflationary increases in other inputs made 2007 one of the most expensive years many producers had faced. Fortunately, prices for most commodities were well-above their five-year averages, and production levels for most agronomic crops were at or above record levels. Favorable weather conditions existed for most of the growing season with only high temperatures and low moisture conditions in late season causing some quality effects on later harvested commodities.
Despite the sharply higher production costs, Louisiana agriculture experienced a generally favorable year with higher commodity prices and near-record yields. For many commodities, 2007 brought improvements in farm profitability as price increases more than offset increased production costs, while for other commodities, small price increases were greatly overshadowed by increased production costs leaving only marginal improvements in farm profitability.
With more acreage devoted to feed grain production, however, Louisiana agriculture was able to produce commodities valued at nearly $5.7 billion. When those commodities were processed, the value-added brought in nearly $5.2 billion, for a total contribution of more than $10.9 billion. These values do not include authorized government payments.
Agriculture continues to be a major contributor to the state’s economy, and continued cutting-edge research and extension education and outreach will be critical to sustaining these significant economic benefits.
Many communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for their livelihood and for local jobs. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern, southwestern and south central Louisiana. Forestry production is mostly in the hill parishes, and the fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although the aquaculture production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana Delta.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are more than a business to those who work in it day to day. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forestlands or in fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
With the expansion of the biofuel industry, commodity prices have improved for many of our commodities. With input costs continuing to be at historical levels, however, prices received by producers will continue to be a serious concern as will Farm Bill programs that are being debated by policymakers. Each year brings additional risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements, higher input costs, as well as potential weather-related disasters. This makes the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever.
Agriculture produces the food and fiber commodities that are essential elements for life. Without the high productivity of agriculture, many people would not have adequate food, clothing and lumber products needed to sustain their lives. Even with modern technology, many do not receive enough food to maintain their existence.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy and becomes increasingly more so each year. That is the reason the LSU Agricultural Center must continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and campus/station-based research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU Agricultural Center (Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station) are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we look forward to continuing to serve that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana for years to come.
-
2006 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This book tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2006. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the data. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. The agricultural industry continues to contribute significantly to the state’s economy with the potential for increased benefits through value-added processing.
In 2005, Louisiana farmers, foresters, fishermen and ranchers faced unprecedented challenges associated with the devastation and destruction caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Louisiana producers continue to adjust production and respond to the challenges, although the full effect of these hurricanes will not be seen for some time.
Fortunately, some commodities were spared from extensive damage since their growing and harvesting seasons were generally complete by the time the as the storms hit the state. For others, however, production difficulties, starting at the time of the storms, continued through 2006 because of saltwater intrusion, animal losses and an infrastructure still under repair. The forestry industry continues to feel the effects of the storms because of the vast amount of timber that was damaged or destroyed.
As in any other industry heavily dependent on weather, agriculture has its good years and bad years. The promise of a new year is also the promise of an improved production environment. With the both the immediate and long-term difficulties caused by the storms of 2005, the 2006 growing season certainly brought the hope for improved production and marketing environments for the Louisiana agriculture industries. Unfortunately, the 2006 growing season proved to be a challenging one for many producers. Following spring rains that delayed planting, the majority of the state experienced drought-like conditions. Although the dry and hot growing conditions did make 2006 a comparatively light year for disease and insect pressure, increased irrigation needs resulted in soaring production costs. Adding to the difficulty of the 2006 season was rainfall that ranged from 10 to more than 20 inches during the fall which reduced production, increased quality damage and increased harvesting costs for many of our commodities.
Despite the continued effects of the 2005 storms and the challenges faced in 2006, agricultural production for many of the state’s commodities was at or above five-year averages. With slightly higher prices for many of the commodities grown, farmers were able to produce agricultural commodities valued at nearly $5.0 billion. When those commodities were processed, the value-added brought in nearly $5.4 billion, for a total contribution of more than $10.4 billion. These values do not include authorized government payments.
Agriculture continues to be a major contributor to the state’s economy, and continued cutting-edge research and extension education and outreach will be critical to sustaining these significant economic benefits.
Many communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for their livelihood and for local jobs. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern, southwestern and southern central Louisiana. Forestry production is mostly in the hill parishes, and the fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although the aquaculture production of catfish is located mainly in the northeastern Louisiana Delta.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are more than a business to those who work in it day to day. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or in fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
With the expansion of the bio-fuel industry, commodity prices have improved for many of our commodities. With input costs continuing to be at historical levels, however, prices received by producers will continue to be a serious concern as will the 2007 Farm Bill programs that are being debated by policymakers. Each year brings additional risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements, higher input costs, as well as potential weatherrelated disasters. This makes the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever.
Agriculture produces the food and fiber commodities that are essential elements for life. Without the high productivity of agriculture, many people would not have adequate food, clothing and lumber products needed to sustain their lives. Even with modern technology, many do not receive enough food to maintain their existence.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy and becomes increasingly so each year. That is the reason the LSU AgCenter must continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and campus/station-based research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU AgCenter (Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station) are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we look forward to continuing to serve that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana for years to come.
-
2005 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This book tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture in 2005. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compiled the statistics. Their analysis focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. The agricultural industry continues to contribute significantly to the state’s economy with the potential for increased benefits through value-added processing.
In 2005, Louisiana farmers, foresters, fishermen and ranchers faced unprecedented challenges associated with hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Although the devastation and destruction caused by the two storms definitely have been a tremendous challenge to Louisiana producers, the full effect won’t be seen for some time.
For some commodities, damage to the crops themselves was minimal since harvesting was essentially over prior to the storms. The effects farmer’s suffered were increased costs of production and infrastructure damage. Future production, however, will suffer from the consequences of saltwater intrusion, animal losses and an infrastructure still under repair. The forestry industry will suffer for the next several years, because timber growth was damaged or destroyed.
Despite the disasters, farmers were able to produce agricultural commodities valued at nearly $4.7 billion. When those commodities were processed, the value added brought in more than $5.0 billion, for a total contribution of more than $9.7 billion. These values do not include authorized government payments.
Agriculture continues to be a major contributor to the state’s economy, and continued cutting-edge research and extension education and outreach will be critical to sustaining these significant economic benefits.
Many communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for their livelihood and for local jobs. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern and southwestern Louisiana. Forestry production is mostly in the hill parishes, and the fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although the aquaculture production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana Delta.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are more than a business to those who work in it day to day. It truly is a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms, forest lands or in fishing villages for generations following a preferred way of life even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
As in any other industry heavily dependent on weather, agriculture has its good years and bad years. It will take years for many producers to fully recover (if they recover at all) from the devastation caused by the hurricanes. Even prior to the two storms, the 2005 growing season was a difficult one for many producers. Following spring rains that delayed planting, the majority of the state generally experienced drought-like conditions. Although the dry and hot growing conditions did make 2005 a comparatively light year for disease and insect pressure, increased irrigation needs resulted in soaring production costs. Despite the generally difficult growing season, most crops produced above-average yields. The exceptions were sugarcane and hay that produced below-normal yields because of a combination of depleted soil moisture and the effects of Katrina and Rita.
Commodity prices continue to be a serious concern as input costs go up and Farm Bill programs are debated by policymakers. Each year brings additional risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements, higher input costs (fuel and fertilizer are at record high levels), as well as potential weather-related disasters. This makes the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever.
Agriculture produces the food and fiber commodities that are essential elements for life. Without the high productivity of agriculture, many people would not have adequate food, clothing and lumber products needed to sustain their lives. Even with modern technology, many do not receive enough food to maintain their existence.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy and becomes increasingly more so each year. That is the reason the LSU Agricultural Center must continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of extension agents, specialists and campus/station-based research scientists.
Those of us in the LSU Agricultural Center (Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station) are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we look forward to continuing to serve that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana for years to come.
-
2004 Louisiana Summary: Agriculture and Natural Resources
LSU AgCenter
This book gives an accounting of the value of agriculture in Louisiana in 2004. Agents and specialists of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, as well as other agencies – both private and public – compile this information. It focuses on the animal, forestry, fisheries, plant and wildlife commodities that comprise our vital agricultural industry. This industry continues to contribute significantly to the state’s economy with the potential for increased impacts through value-added processing.
In 2004, Louisiana farmers, foresters, fishermen and ranchers produced agricultural commodities valued at slightly more than $5 billion. When those commodities were processed, the value-added brought in another $5.7 billion, for a total contribution of more than $10.7 billion. These values do not include authorized government payments.
Agriculture in Louisiana continues to be a major contributor to the state’s economy. Many communities depend on agriculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife for their livelihood. The heart of agronomic agriculture is found in northeastern and southwestern Louisiana. Forestry production is mostly in the hill parishes, and the fisheries production takes place mostly along the coast, although the aquaculture production of catfish is located mainly in the northeast Louisiana Delta.
Agriculture is more than a business to those who work in it day to day. It is truly a way of life. Families have lived on many of these farms for generations, and farming is a way of life they prefer even though it means hard work, many hours, high risks and sometimes low incomes.
As in any other industry heavily dependent on weather, agriculture has its good years and bad years. During the 2004 season, some commodity prices declined from record high prices and yields seen in 2003. Additionally, excessive rainfall in June followed by drought conditions later in the summer caused great concerns to many growers. Favorable growing conditions did, however, recover enough to allow for decent cotton and rice crops. Soybean, sugarcane and hay production, however, was affected negatively in many areas. Commodity prices continue to be a serious concern as input costs go up and Farm Bill programs are debated more and more by policymakers. Each year brings additional risks associated with commodity prices, trade agreements, higher input costs (fuel and fertilizer are at record high levels), as well as potential weather-related disasters. This makes the discovery and adoption of new agricultural technology developed by the LSU AgCenter more important than ever.
Agriculture produces the food and fiber commodities that are essential elements for life. Without the high productivity of agriculture, many would not have adequate food, clothing and lumber products needed to sustain their lives. Even with modern technology, many do not receive enough food to maintain their existence.
Agriculture is a highly sophisticated segment of the national and world economy and becomes increasingly more so each year. That is the reason the LSU Agricultural Center must continue to support agriculture and consumers with factual information provided by a well-trained faculty of Extension agents, specialists and campus/station-based scientists.
Those of us in the LSU Agricultural Center (Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station) are proud to be part of Louisiana’s agricultural industry, and we look forward to continuing to serve that industry and the citizens across the state of Louisiana for years to come.
Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.