re: Louisiana requests federal assistance to help struggling crawfish farmers

Posted by Honest Tune

Louisiana

Member since Dec 2011

16022 posts

Posted on 2/21/24 at 5:07 pm to SWLA92

You seem to be in the know… I was told yesterday by someone familiar with the ins and outs that THREE people dictate the price of crawfish in this state. Does that seem right to you?

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Posted by JTM72

BR, LA.

Member since Mar 2014

1216 posts

Posted on 2/21/24 at 5:26 pm to SWLA92

Crawfish are not an essential item. If people don’t have money for it, they aren’t gonna buy it. Plain and simple as that. Whether the prices stay this high or not. Sales will be down as long as prices are up.

Getting government help will not help the number of crawfish produced this year. Things will level out next year, given we don’t have another drought like we did last year

Posted by GeauxldMember

Member since Nov 2003

4408 posts

Posted on 2/21/24 at 5:29 pm to SWLA92

quote:
Calling it a loss this year will end the crawfish industry as you know it. You think prices are bad now? They’ll be a fraction of crawfish producers survive if this season continues like it is. Less producers means less supply, and the demand is only going to get higher which means prices will stay higher than what we are used to. Be careful what you ask for

When I was a kid, if we wanted crawfish, 9/10 times that meant going out and catching them ourselves. I still have nets, a push pole and a pirogue, so let ‘em do their best.

Posted by Le Tenia

Member since Feb 2015

4586 posts

Posted on 2/21/24 at 5:29 pm to SWLA92

quote:
Calling it a loss this year will end the crawfish industry as you know it. You think prices are bad now? They’ll be a fraction of crawfish producers survive if this season continues like it is. Less producers means less supply, and the demand is only going to get higher which means prices will stay higher than what we are used to. Be careful what you ask for

Don’t buy them and the demand goes down. It’s a crooked business and every year there is an issue or issues being floated around for the high prices and the “short” supply. Every year. Next year will be no different with the late Mardi Gras.

Posted by Ostrich

Alexandria, VA

Member since Nov 2011

8790 posts

Posted on 2/21/24 at 6:55 pm to SWLA92

quote:
Calling it a loss this year will end the crawfish industry as you know it. You think prices are bad now? They’ll be a fraction of crawfish producers survive if this season continues like it is. Less producers means less supply, and the demand is only going to get higher which means prices will stay higher than what we are used to. Be careful what you ask for

If the price rises too high then demand will drop. Keep govt out of it.

Posted by deltaland

Member since Mar 2011

91235 posts

Posted on 2/21/24 at 7:37 pm to SWLA92

quote:
Calling it a loss this year will end the crawfish industry as you know it. You think prices are bad now? They’ll be a fraction of crawfish producers survive if this season continues like it is. Less producers means less supply, and the demand is only going to get higher which means prices will stay higher than what we are used to.

Then some entrepreneurs will go buy the idle crawfish farms since demand and prices will be so high and increase supply. Or remaining operations will expand to meet demand

Posted by slackster

Houston

Member since Mar 2009

85489 posts

Posted on 2/21/24 at 7:57 pm to SWLA92

quote:
Calling it a loss this year will end the crawfish industry as you know it. You think prices are bad now? They’ll be a fraction of crawfish producers survive if this season continues like it is. Less producers means less supply, and the demand is only going to get higher which means prices will stay higher than what we are used to. Be careful what you ask for

I respect your experience in the industry, but this is hyperbolic.

If producers go out of business, the fields still exist, and someone will step in and take them off their hands as things normalize. It’s not like there is some patented crawfish mating technology that will die with the current farmer.

If there is money to be made in future years, it will be made, even if it’s with a different set of producers.

This post was edited on 2/21/24 at 7:59 pm

Posted by loogaroo

Welsh

Member since Dec 2005

31615 posts

Posted on 2/21/24 at 9:08 pm to SWLA92

quote:
Calling it a loss this year will end the crawfish industry as you know it. You think prices are bad now? They’ll be a fraction of crawfish producers survive if this season continues like it is.

Rice farmers are not going out of business over this.

Posted by Earnest_P

Member since Aug 2021

3639 posts

Posted on 2/22/24 at 8:18 am to SWLA92

quote:
They’ll be a fraction of crawfish producers survive if this season continues like it is.

Don’t most of them just farm crawfish in fields that used to sit idle when it wasn’t rice season?

Even if that’s not the case, what do you mean that most won’t “survive”?
What are they going to do? Go work at WalMart? The land will still be there with money to made from it. Are you saying they’ll be foreclosed on or something?

Posted by JohnnyKilroy

Cajun Navy Vice Admiral

Member since Oct 2012

35740 posts

Posted on 2/22/24 at 9:14 am to SWLA92

quote:
Calling it a loss this year will end the crawfish industry as you know it. You think prices are bad now? They’ll be a fraction of crawfish producers survive if this season continues like it is. Less producers means less supply, and the demand is only going to get higher which means prices will stay higher than what we are used to. Be careful what you ask for

Oh well