Louisiana Style

Landing in Chicago was almost like coming home. Being able to read the signs and understand the language in the airport, was a relaxing feeling after having to concentrate constantly while in China.

Chicago however is not the destination this week, just one of two stopovers (the other being Dallas) on the way to Monroe in Louisiana.
After one of the longest Saturdays I have encountered (at around 34 hours) we check into our hotel for the night, then set about finding somewhere to eat.
There is limited options close to the hotel so we opt for the healthiest option and a cooking style we know and trust - Chinese !

I don't really know what to expect in Louisiana, we have all had the itinerary - several versions, but to begin with it's just names and places.
We know we will be meeting beef producers, chicken producers, rice industry reps, natural resource reps and research and development teams, but we really have no idea of the week ahead.

Ron Helinski from Maryland along with Denise from Virginia have made the contact in Louisiana and join us on Sunday morning to give us a briefing on what lies ahead.
An hour later we are in rural northern Louisiana on the farm of Reggie Skain, which is to be our home for the next week.
 Reggie has been in the area all of his 65 years and is well respected in the community and has been the Mayor of Downsville for 27 years. Reggie quickly points out that he sees the role as one of 'complains department' rather than that of Mayor.
Reggie is heavily involved in pretty much everything going on in the area as well as running cattle on several farms, forestry blocks, property development and a highway construction business which does regrassing following earthworks.

View from our home for the week.

The land Reggie is leasing to run cattle on is costing around $30 per ac. Getting any clear figures on stocking rate was difficult but is in the order of 1 cow per ac. The calves are taken through to weaning and then sold off to feedlots in states further north.
Returns are exceptionally good at current prices with 270 - 280 kg calves bringing around $2.20 - $2.40 US per kg.
Beef numbers in Louisiana are at 610000 with an average herd size of 41 and contribute $560 million to the state economy.
Cows are calving in the autumn to enable them to be sold at weaning when the summer heat kicks in and the annual ryegrass dies. Most of the pasture is made up of bermuda and bahia grasses with white clover seen as a weed that makes the hay difficult to dry, which can be a challenge with a 1400-1500 mm rainfall.

An observer looking from the outside would say there is scope to increase production through measuring and recording but currently things seem to be ticking over ok.
Our first night in Downsville and we are treated to a feast of a local delicacy, crawfish or fresh water lobsters and were entertained by 20 or so of Reggies friends. These are real country folk with a reeeaaaal long droool and a tin of chewing tobacco in the top pocket and wonderful people whom would become very good friends over the next week.

Many of these farmers have several chicken sheds each holding 23000 birds as part of their businesses. On contract with one of two processors the margins are very tight and don't leave a lot of room for error. The price recieved is 5 cents per lb LWG. which equates to $20000 profit per shed per year. Cost of the Shed is $250000 US.
Poultry production is the states largest animal industry and contributes $1.9 billion to the economy.
The beef industry is heavily reliant on the chickens for the litter that is produced as the cost of artificial fertiliser is prohibitive.
The litter is applied at between 5 and 12 t per ha per year.

Forestry is the top earner for the state bringing in some $2.8 billion annually.
The majority of it is pine and used for paper and cardboard products, with several processing facilities within the state.
Of the 27.5 million acres in Louisiana, 14 million acres is planted in trees.

Reggie Skain  discussing forestry

When one thinks of Louisiana, cotton come to mind. The area of cotton has been under pressure from corn in recent years, with current production down to $270 million.
Corn and feed grains on the other hand are finding favour, particularly with the biofuel plants that have emerged in recent times and $7.00 /bu prices are difficult to ignore.

I believe that the US government is very focused on making food available to everyone at an affordable price and that is often at a price that is below the cost of production.
The hope is there will be money left at the end of the week to buy other less necessary items that the tax can be recovered on.
In order to achieve this, agriculture receives some very robust support. This is something that will not change dramatically in the foreseeable future.
It will be interesting to get a perspective on this on our visit to Washington DC.
Northern Louisiana is blessed with ample rainfall and coupled with what they term 'unlimited' water for irrigation, are able to to produce exceptional corn and rice crops.
It will interesting to follow just how long it remains unlimited...

Because of the abundance of many of the resources needed to produce good crops, there hasn't been much emphasis on regulation. Louisiana boasts a system where best practice is employed and stakeholders have managed work with the authorities to achieve outcomes that work for the environment and food production.
This means the environmental authorities are able to focus on what they know and are good at, rather than being involved in compliance.

One of the highlights of the week in Louisiana would have to be dinner with Mike Strain, Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, State Senator Francis Thompson and several other elected officials who took time from their busy schedules to meet with us. Several of them flew to Monroe especially for the dinner and flew back to Batton Rouge after the event. A graphic example of the respect Reggie Skains and his colleagues have within not only the State but in the US.




Another highlight would have to be fishing with Wayne Pruitt on the bayou. on our last day the scholars took the opportunity to spend the day with a local farmer to give them a hand and see how things work at grass root level.
Wayne and I checked the cattle and the chicken sheds, hauled some chicken litter before heading off to catch a fish. Success was limited but it was a great way to exchange experiences and difficulties within our own industries.
Interestingly many of the issues we face are very similar, and at the end of the day, we are all producing food....