US: USDA announces financial relief for drought-stricken Louisiana crawfish producers

Louisiana crawfish producers suffering from drought conditions now have access to emergency financial relief, following requests from state officials and representatives for federal action.Last year was a difficult one for Southern crawfish producers, with extreme heat and a subsequent freeze causing a sudden decrease in crawfish production. The Louisiana State University’s Agriculture Center estimated the potential losses from the extreme weather to be nearly USD 140 million [EUR 130 million].In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’ (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has made changes to the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP), opening the program to crawfish producers impacted by the extreme heat conditions last year.“When we make farm policy decisions, we recognize that not all agricultural commodities are grown or raised the same or fit in nice, neat categories as it relates to how we deliver our programs. Such is the case ...