By: MICHAEL BORDELON
News Editor
Rice farmers throughout the parish are busy and they are beginning to harvest their rice crop, which is good news for them since rice prices are at record levels and will help to offset the escalating costs they face.
The current world market price is at a very good $27-28 per barrel (one barrel is 162 pounds), according to LSU AgCenter Extension Office’s Keith Fontenot, county agent.
While $28 per barrel is as high as the price has ever been, Fontenot said farmers are facing the highest operation costs they have ever encountered. Expenses per acre are climbing ever higher, with some reaching well over $700 per acre. Fontenot said with the increase in diesel and fertilizer costs farmers are still feeling the pinch, even with record prices per barrel.
He stated last year, $19 was a very good price, and in the last two to three years, he has seen farmers sell rice at $12, $14 and $16 per barrel. While it may not be the highest price ever, it is a welcome relief for our local rice farmers. As recent as 2002, the price was as low as $6.10 per barrel.
Fontenot said many farmers are beginning to plant hybrid rice as it has been doing pretty well in this parish. He said approximately 18-20 percent of the rice grown in Evangeline Parish last year was hybrid rice, and that number is expected to be much higher this year.
Fontenot also wanted to make motorists aware of farm equipment as farmers begin harvesting.
“Be cautious on the road,” he said. “There are big pieces of equipment that will be moving from field to field, especially as the harvest gets into full swing. Please have patience when you’re driving because these things don’t go 55 miles per hour and they are not very forgiving in a collision. Please be careful when passing.”
Cotton production is estimated at 515,000 bales, up 18 percent from 2010. The 2011 planted acreage was estimated at 295,000 acres, up 16 percent from the previous year. An estimated 290,000 acres were harvested, up 16 percent from 2010. Yield per acre was 852 pounds, up 10 pounds from 2010. U.S upland cotton production is estimated at 14.8 million bales, down 16 percent from the 2010 production.
Sugarcane production for sugar and seed in the state is estimated at 11.5 million net tons, down two percent from 2010. Production for sugar is estimated at 10.8 million net tons, and production for seed is estimated at 700,000 net tons. An estimated 410,000 total acres were harvested, down two percent from 2010. 385,000 acres were harvested for sugar, down one percent from last year. The remaining 25,000 acres were harvested for seed, down 17 percent from last year. Net yield for both sugar and seed is estimated at 28.0 net tons per acre, down 0.2 net ton from the 2010 yield. U.S. production of sugarcane for sugar and seed in 2011 is estimated at 28.3 million net tons, three percent above the previous year’s 27.4 million net tons.
Louisiana’s soybean production is estimated at 34.3 million bushels, down 18 percent from 2010. Total planted acreage was 1,020,000 acres, down one percent from 2010. Louisiana farmers harvested an estimated 980,000 acres, down four percent from the previous year. Yield is estimated at 35 bushels per acre, down six bushels from the previous year. U.S. soybean production is estimated at 3.1 billion bushels, down eight percent from last year.
Louisiana’s all rice production is estimated at 26.4 million cwt, down 19 percent from 2010. Production of long grain varieties is estimated at 23.3 million cwt, and production of medium grain varieties is estimated at 3.1 million cwt. The planted and harvested acreage for 2011 were 423,000 and 418,000 acres, respectively, both down 22 percent from 2010. The statewide yield averaged 6,320 pounds per acre, up 220 pounds from 2010. This is the highest recorded yield in the state’s history. U.S. all rice production is estimated at 185 million cwt, down 24 percent from 2010.
Production of corn for grain in the state is estimated at 77.0 million bushels, up 10 percent from 2010. The 2011 planted acreage was estimated at 580,000 acres, up 14 percent from the previous year. An estimated 570,000 acres were harvested, up 14 percent from 2010. Yield per acre was set at 135 bushels, down five bushels from the previous year. U.S. corn production is estimated at 12.4 billion bushels, down one percent from last year.
Production of sorghum for grain in Louisiana is estimated at 10.8 million bushels, compared to 7.4 million in 2010. Total planted acreage was estimated at 130,000 acres, of which 124,000 acres were harvested for grain. Yield per acre, at 87 bushels, was down eight bushels from 2010. U.S. production of sorghum in 2011 is estimated at 214 million bushels, 38 percent below 2010.
Louisiana’s sweet potato production is estimated at 2.4 million cwt, down three percent from 2010. An estimated 14,000 acres were planted in 2011, up four percent from 2010. Harvested acreage was estimated at 13,000 acres, the same as last year. The statewide yield averaged 185 cwt per acre, down 5 cwt from 2010. U.S. sweet potato production is estimated at 27.0 million cwt, up 13 percent from the previous year.
All hay production in Louisiana in 2011 is estimated at 903,000 thousand tons, down 28 percent from 2010. An estimated 430,000 acres were harvested in 2011, down four percent from the previous year. Yield was 2.1 tons per acre, down .7 ton from 2010. U.S. all hay production is estimated at 131 million tons, down 10 percent from 2010.
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