An assessment won’t be finalized until all harvests are complete, but it appears that an estimated $100 million in losses to Louisiana’s row crop industry resulted from Hurricane Isaac, state agriculture officials say. That represents about 3 percent of the pre-storm value of the state’s agricultural products, according to the Louisiana State University AgCenter.
While any amount of crop and livestock loss is unwelcome to agriculture producers, LSU AgCenter economist Kurt Guidry said agricultural damage from Isaac is low compared with last year’s drought and losses from storms in previous years.
“Certainly we had some significant impacts in some areas, but the damage was not as severe as we feared,” Guidry said in an announcement released by the LSU AgCenter.
Sugarcane, a $1.1 billion industry in Louisiana, suffered a loss of about $60 million or a 7 percent loss of its pre-storm value, Guidry said. The current sugarcane crop experienced wind damage, and farmers were still planting next year’s crop.
Some of it will bounce back, said Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. He added that productivity could be impacted depending on the weather for the rest of the harvest season and that growers should document their losses for use in the event assistance is granted.
Yield losses for crops receiving the most damage included vegetables at 85 percent, citrus at 37 percent and pecans at 24 percent. Combined, these represent about an $8 million loss, according to the AgCenter.
Cotton will see a 9 percent reduction in yield, leading to an $11 million economic loss, according to Guidry’s estimates.
About 11 percent of the state’s rice yield was affected by the storm, resulting in a $4 million loss.
About 5 percent of the state’s soybean acres were damaged representing about $14 million loss.
Sweet potatoes also experienced a five percent reduction in yield, or a loss of $1.6 million.
Louisiana agriculture was positioned to have a strong year, with near-record yields for several commodities. Despite the damages, Guidry said, the state could still have a good year.
“The exact nature of the impact on many of these commodities continues to evolve and will continue to be determined based on weather conditions that persist following the storm,” he said. “A return to favorable weather would likely limit the impacts while continued rains would likely result in additional impacts.”
For many of these commodities, a final assessment of Isaac’s effects will not be possible until harvest is completed, Guidry said.
The Associated Press reported that although ranchers are continuing to try and determine their losses on still-flooded land, it is estimated that around 400 head of cattle drowned in Isaac’s waters.
“There’s no doubt the numbers are going to go up,” Guidry said. “Many farmers, particularly cotton and soybean growers, are still seeing water in their fields. Quality in those crops is deteriorating by the minute. Livestock are stressed; citrus in Plaquemines Parish is on the ground. While Isaac was not like Hurricane’s Katrina or Gustav, it was still devastating to Louisiana farmers and ranchers.”
Topics Profit Loss Louisiana Agribusiness
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