Bad weather put soybean planting behind in Louisiana
Bad weather has put Louisiana soybean farmers behind schedule, but rising prices are likely to increase acreage from last year, a Louisiana State University soybean specialist says.
Louisiana farmers have planted about 24% of the acres they plan for soybeans, compared to a 5-year average of 47% by this time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday.
“We are behind,” said David Moseley of the LSU AgCenter. “It basically starts at the winter storms in February and the consistent rains since then. The fields have stayed wet.”
But, he said in a news release Thursday, farmers are talking about expanding their soybean fields because prices are about $15 a bushel from above $8 a year ago, fueled by a weaker U.S. dollar and growing demand in China.