Soybeans await harvest near Crowley, La. The 2014 soybean crop in Louisiana is likely to set another record yield, with an average exceeding 50 bushels per acre. (Photo by Bruce Schultz)

News Release Distributed 10/24/14

VILLE PLATTE, La. – Most Louisiana farmers harvesting this year’s soybean crop are reporting one of their best years, according to the LSU AgCenter soybean specialist.

“This will be another record year in Louisiana for soybeans,” said Ron Levy, who spoke Oct. 22 at the Evangeline Parish Rice and Soybean Advisory Committee meeting.

This year’s harvest is stacking up to be the best ever for Louisiana, and it’s the third consecutive year that a record has been set. The state average yield will be 53-54 bushels per acre, Levy said.

Louisiana farmers grew 1.4 million acres of soybeans this year, up by 300,000 acres from 2013.

Levy said several growers in north Louisiana have reported yields of 80 bushels an acre, and in northeast Louisiana some have even broken the 100-bushel mark on some fields.

Some areas in Avoyelles, Evangeline and St. Landry parishes received sudden heavy rainfall that flooded the crop, he said. “Where they got those big rains, it hurt yields, especially those that planted early.”

Yields also were down slightly at the AgCenter Dean Lee Research Station near Alexandria because of excessive rainfall, Levy said.

Grain quality is excellent because of the low insect and disease pressure in most areas, he said.

Prices for soybeans have fallen below $10 a bushel, but AgCenter economist Kurt Guidry said strong demand from China continues.

U.S. soybean processors were paying a premium for soybeans because the stockpile had been almost depleted, Guidry said. “Until we started harvesting this year, we had run out of soybeans.”

Guidry said the South American soybean planting is late, and by January and February, buyers will have no choice but to purchase U.S. soybeans.

This year’s rice crop was one of the best for Evangeline Parish, growers agreed, with the parish average yield in the upper 40-barrel level. In addition, they said, grain quality was excellent.

Steve Linscombe, director of the AgCenter Rice Research Station, said some farmers had better rice yields this year than in 2013 when a record yield was recorded.

Neal LeJeune said his rice crop averaged 55 barrels an acre, and his milling yield was the best he’s ever seen.

But some farmers said they are unsure how much rice they will plant next year because of low prices.