The Louisiana soybean harvest is in full swing. Early reports indicate decent yields, and the crop was not heavily damaged by Hurricane Laura.
Good weather at planting and throughout the growing season has led to good yields for Louisiana soybean producers. Avoyelles Parish farmer Jason Gauthier has been pleased with the results he has seen so far. “We have a better-than-average crop. I’m not going to say it’s the best crop ever, but we have a better-than-average,” he states.
There was some concern that Hurricane Laura would have an adverse effect on the state’s soybean crop, but the damage was minimal. Since the storm’s passage, ideal harvest conditions have prevailed.
According to David Moseley, a soybean specialist with the LSU AgCenter, “It’s been dry. It hasn’t been raining since the hurricane. So, hopefully, we’re doing good, and producers have been able to harvest quite a bit since the hurricane.”
Not only are yields good, but the price farmers are getting for their beans is on the rise.
“I did see some reports that the prices have rebounded a little bit in the last couple of weeks,” Moseley said. “I even saw approaching two-year highs.”
One downside from Laura is that harvest efficiency is down and harvest costs are up as farmers have to deal with beans laid down by winds from the hurricane.
Gauthier adds, “The ground is soft. We’re having to keep the road up every morning with a tractor and blade the road... We can’t come back here with the trucks at all.”
Preliminary yield losses from Laura were estimated at nearly $8 million dollars with estimated increased harvest costs at $1.2 million dollars.
Hurricane Laura decimated Louisiana’s pecan crop.