Louisiana farmers are facing higher costs for fuel, fertilizer and equipment, along with drought, saltwater intrusion and rising irrigation expenses. Farmer Eddie Lewis III, who works 1,000 acres, estimates he is already $200,000 over his $1 million budget, so he has cut labor, delayed equipment purchases and considered selling farmland. LSU AgCenter economist Michael Deliberto said price gains have not offset rising fuel and fertilizer costs, which the editorial links mainly to the Iran war; from January to August, direct production costs per acre rose from $543 to $643 for sugar cane, $740 to $830 for corn, $780 to $930 for rice and $465 to $507 for soybeans. Rice and crawfish farmer Homer Leger expects to finish about $20,000 short and plans another bank loan, while Brandon Vail said he might not have planted this year's crop without federal help. The editorial warns that consumers will also lose out if high production costs push farmers to seek other livelihoods.
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