BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – As temperatures continue to rise in Louisiana, drought conditions in some areas of the state have become a concern.
LSU agricultural officials said there’s a lot that consumers can learn. Hot and dry weather may limit the amount of some of Louisiana’s most important crops. The full impact won’t be known until harvest, but officials said the lack of rain has made a difference.
“Every farmer you talk to, they’re actually praying for rain right now. So, we’re hoping that we get some rainfall to actually finish these crops off that these producers have planted,” said Mark Carriere, an LSU Ag Center Natural Resource agent.
Rice that was planted late in the season that’s growing now has a possibility of being affected. Farmers are also concerned with soybeans, sugarcane and corn crops because they serve as one of Louisiana’s biggest economic benefits.
Carriere said thst this is one of the toughest times of the year for farmers.
“The crops right now, especially our corn crops and soybean crops, are going through a very crucial time where they reach the vegetative stage, that means if we don’t get the right amount of rainfall production in yield decreases,” said Carriere.
Crops aren’t the only plants at risk this summer. Gardeners also have to ensure that they take care of gardens as the heat may sometimes slow down plant growth. Heather Kirk’ballard is the LSU Ag Center Horticulture researcher. She said plants need extra care in hot conditions like this.
“So just keep an eye out for the wilting, for the yellowing, for stunted growth and just remember that they’re very similar to us. They need water to cool down. They could use shade that helps them reduce sunburn because they can scald as well,” said Kirk’ballard.
Officials said their only hope now is that Louisiana gets more rain to keep the crops and gardens green.
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