Louisiana rice farmer adapts to evolving industry challenges
CROWLEY, LA. (KLFY) -- Rice season is in full swing in South Louisiana, where third-generation farmer Eric Unkel is navigating his 30th rice season.
As Unkel's second harvest of the season is approaching, he reflected on how this years crop has performed.
"This season our spring was kind of wet and we had a decent planting schedule." Unkel said. "For most of the rice we had a lot of wind and a lot of timing issues. A few challenges, but the crop was decent. I would say it is a very average crop year. With some good and some bad. For us it was just a normal crop year."
From generation to generation, the industry can experience drastic changes. From farming land in the past costing $300 an acre to now costing the new generation of farmers $800 dollars an acre. Changes like this can make it difficult for new farmers to get into the occupation.
"It is a tough world to come into now. It requires so much capital," Unkel explained. "And if you don't have a little help, just someone starting out, it is tough."
Unkel also shared his insights on the future of the rice farming industry, noting economic challenges in the rice export market.
"The industry is in a unique place right now. We came off some really good prices and they have fallen quite a bit. And there is some stagnation in the rice and the export market," Unkel said. "We just got to work our way through a handful of economic challenges for the next year or so."
As the rice season progresses, farmers like Unkel continue to adapt to the evolving challenges of the industry, balancing tradition with the economic realities of modern agriculture.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.