Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry issued a disaster declaration Wednesday for the state's crawfish industry after last year's severe drought devastated this year's harvest, which should be at its peak during Lent and Easter.
""It's the worst season in my history, and I've been farming crawfish for 30 years," Acadiana farmer Richard Fontenot said in interview with USA Today Network. "We're 80% behind where we usually are."
Read MoreSen. John Kennedy (R-La), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced the Crawfish Recovery Assistance from Weather Disasters and Droughts (CRAWDAD) Act. The bill would support Louisiana’s crawfish jobs as droughts and severe weather have put strain on the industry.
“Louisiana’s crawfish farmers have worked hard to weather a bad freeze and devastating drought. My CRAWDAD Act would give mudbug farmers the help they need to keep delivering quality Louisiana fare to crawfish lovers everywhere,” said Kennedy.
Read MoreThe Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) urges the federal government to aid Louisiana’s crawfish industry after an unprecedented drought.
On February 2, LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, DVM, wrote a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack asking that the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP) and/or similar programs be properly funded and instituted to assist the crawfish industry.
Read MoreU.S. Congressmen Garret Graves (Louisiana) and Troy Carter (Louisiana) led a formal request asking that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP) funding to drought-affected crawfish producers in Louisiana. Congress has already granted the USDA discretion to provide assistance to farmers affected by severe weather through the ELAP statute; the bipartisan letter asks that the Secretary use it now to provide relief to Louisiana farmers who suffered significant crawfish crop losses due to extreme heat and drought in 2023.
Read MoreFlipFarm, the visionary force behind the first semi-automated oyster farming system, is proud to announce the US launch of its high-capacity Sorter and revolutionary Rigid Mesh Seed Inserts at the upcoming Oyster South Industry Symposium, held February 29th to March 2nd, in New Orleans. These latest additions to FlipFarm's suite of oyster farming solutions are set to redefine efficiency and productivity in aquaculture. Launching these products in Louisiana, FlipFarm hopes to contribute to the revitalization of the region's crucial industry by empowering local farmers with the tools they need to thrive.
Read MoreCrawfish lovers know that prices have been pretty high this season.
The summer drought and cold winter temperatures devastated the production of this year’s crop. Commissioner Mike Strain with the Department of Agriculture & Forestry sat down with KSLA on Tuesday, Feb. 27 to discuss the outlook for the rest of the season.
Read MoreA Louisiana congressman is asking the federal government for help with the state’s crawfish industry.
Last week, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.) wrote letters to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) asking them to help the crawfish farming industry after it was hit by a severe drought and a hard freeze.
Read MoreRecently Gov. Jeff Landry sent a letter to the U. S. Department of Agriculture seeking federal assistance concerning the crawfish industry.
News 10 spoke with a local crawfish producer, Chad Hanks, who shared the reality of what crawfisherman are facing.
Read MoreLouisiana's crawfish industry, a vital part of the state's agricultural landscape and cultural heritage, is in turmoil in 2024.
The industry, already grappling with the aftermath of a severe drought in 2023, has been further devastated by a recent freeze, leading to widespread concerns among farmers and lawmakers about the future of this iconic industry.
In a letter to United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-LA, underscored the gravity of the situation.
Read MoreAs he rattles along the highway between Houston and Louisiana in his 2003 white Dodge truck, Thomas Rozelle is fielding back-to-back phone calls about all the dead crawfish. He can barely keep up with every conversation. Restaurant owners are freaking out, farmers are panicking, all the while Rozelle – a 30-year-old crawfish wholesaler from Pasadena – is trying to keep his head straight.
Read MoreGovernor Jeff Landry sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeking federal assistance in regards to the crawfish industry.
The letter, sent to Secretary Tom Vilsack, is seeking federal assistance to address the recent drought that is affecting the domestic crawfish industry and caused prices to skyrocket. The request would expand the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program to include drought as a cause of loss for farm-raised fish, including crawfish.
Read MoreThis is going to be a year of surviving for Brant Lamm and his family. He and his brother are farmers and together they manage 3000 acres of land, with 1500 of those acres dedicated to crawfish. While that may sound like a lot, they, along with other Louisiana crawfish farmers, are struggling to make ends meet.
“We spent several hundred dollars an acre flushing and fertilizing all summer long and it seems like it was all for nothing at this point,” said Lamm.
Read MoreLieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, along with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, granted an official pardon to Sherbin the Crawfish during the 8th Annual Pardoning of the Crawfish event. For a second year, the annual event took place at Parc des Ponts Breaux along Bayou Teche in Breaux Bridge, the crawfish capital of the world.
Read MoreThe summer drought is having lasting effects on this season’s crawfish. The population is low, and the prices are high.
It’s not just mother nature that’s causing the price gauge, though. One local seafood retailer said foreign seafood imports have been ravaging the entire seafood industry for over two decades.
Read MoreAfter years of working in the hospitality industry, Ryan Anderson quit his job to start Little Moon Oyster Ranch.
“It takes a lot of care. It takes a lot of patience," Anderson said, “There’s [sic] a lot of scary times. There are a lot of rewarding times, but I think as long as you’re passionate and driven about something, you can usually find a way to make it work.”
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