This has certainly been a tumultuous time for Richland Parish agriculture.
An already rainy start to the farming season was later amplified by a devastating flood that delayed planting to nearly unprecedented dates.
To further constrict the farmers’ ability to thrive, we saw commodity prices travel downward to vastly unprofitable levels. This created the perfect storm that thrashed our local economy and instilled significant fear in the hearts of everyone in the Parish who is impacted by agriculture.
Fortunately, the waters subsided and the sun came up once again so the farmers could work day and sometimes night in order to put this difficult crop into the ground.
Even though there was a tremendous amount of replanted corn and soybeans, the new crop appears to be making a comeback. This is a testament to the hard work and determination of the Richland Parish farmer.
A historic bullish run by the U.S. Dollar and massive domestic stocks of grain sent the markets into a downward spiral. Although we still see current commodity prices as less than desirable, there seems to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
Soybeans and rice have made great strides over the past month, mainly due to extremely low international supplies.
The silver bullet to our woes still appears to be the prospect of trade with Cuba. Due to the fantastic work of Congressman Ralph Abraham towards lifting the nearly sixty year-long embargo, a once unimaginable trade partner is beginning to warm up to the idea of buying goods from the United States.
This would create a huge market for U.S. rice, corn, soybeans, beef, as well as non-agricultural products such as steel and oil.
The near term outlook for our farmers is not the song that we all rehearsed, but things are at least looking brighter. The Richland Chamber of Commerce encourages everyone to join us in the push for any legislation that will further trade and lessen regulation on the American farmer.
As was the case with the flood, Richland Parish farmers will continue to make something out of nothing. We know that our producers can do their job. Now, more than ever, we need help from Washington and Baton Rouge to create more markets and opportunity for the farmers of this area.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce, please email us at richlandparishchamber@gmail.com. Also check out our Facebook page and give us a like! We greatly appreciate your support.
Scott Franklin is chairman of the Richland Parish Chamber of Commerce.