(fis.com) Louisiana’s catfish industry, hurt by cheap imports and expensive feed, is shrinking. Feed costs have soared in recent years as grain was diverted to ethanol. And federal budget tightening has killed several attempts to help catfish producers.
“The industry doesn’t have any U.S. government safety-net programs,” said Butch Wilson, president of Catfish Farmers of America based in Mississippi. “We’re hoping to get some sort of insurance program for catfish—maybe something like the crop insurance programs—in the new Farm Bill. It might be based on past revenues but the details haven’t been worked out yet.” And he doubts much will happen with the Farm Bill before the presidential election in November.
Total catfish feed delivered in the United States during May 2012 was 63,573 tons, up 27 percent from May 2011, and up 72 percent from the previous month.
Foodsize catfish feed delivered totaled 60,871 tons, up 27 percent from the corresponding month a year ago. Feed delivered for fingerlings and broodfish totaled 2,702 tons, up 24 percent from the corresponding month a year ago.
May feed delivered to Mississippi catfish growers for foodsize fish totaled 29,818 tons, up 39 percent from last year. Mississippi accounted for 49 percent of the total foodsize catfish feed delivered to United States farmers.
The other major States with catfish feed deliveries for foodsize fish in May and their comparison to the previous year were Alabama with 20,613, up 13 percent; Arkansas with 5,417 tons, up 38 percent; and Louisiana with 459 tons, down 7 percent.