Louisiana Summary
Agricultural And Natural Resources
2008

The statistical information in this summary is compiled from estimates made by extension agents of the LSU AgCenter after consulting with agricultural agency representatives, agricultural and agribusiness leaders and others and after study of various reports and resource materials. State specialists check parish-level data for specific commodities to ensure accuracy and consistency of production information. Any inquiries about the data in this publication should be directed to Dr. John Westra in the Department of Agricultural Economics, LSU AgCenter, who oversees the process of gathering all information for the Louisiana Summary.

Although this material is reasonably accurate and can be used for planning and other general information purposes, this is not the official document of agricultural data for the state. Official statistical data are gathered, summarized and published by the USDA – National Agricultural Statistics Service, Louisiana Field Office, P.O. Box 65038, Baton Rouge, LA 70896. Reproduction or publication of information in this summary should acknowledge the unofficial nature of the statistics.

A gross value has been computed for each commodity, which in some cases includes a value from natural resources and, consequently, may not represent income to farmers. Gross farm values were calculated using calendar-year, market-weighted, state-level average prices, when available. The gross value is an indicator of the commodity’s contribution to economic activity in the state, but is not an indicator of farm profits. Production costs greatly affect profit for many commodities. Even when gross income increases over previous years, corresponding increases in production costs may decrease farm profits.

In the state summaries, the value added in cleaning, processing, packaging, marketing and transporting commodities is an estimate of the total contribution of agriculture and natural resources to the state’s economy.

The state summary is not an exact summation of all parish reports since adjustments may occur because of changes in average prices received, or to accommodate information from other sources.

In each parish table only commodities that were of economic value in that parish this year were listed. In some instances, the number of producers or the number of acres in a parish were not available. An asterisk is used to avoid confidential information from being released when too few producers are present for that commodity. Within some commodity groups, such as grains, fruits and commercial vegetables, the total number of producers has been omitted because some producers grow several different crops within the group. Adding together the producers of individual crops would not give a true total for the group.