Red River Floods Thousands Of Acres Of State’s Farmland

NATCHITOCHES — It will be weeks, perhaps months, before it's known how much damage the recent flooding from the Red River has done to Louisiana's agriculture industry.

James Wagley, Natchitoches Parish president for Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, said thousands and thousands of acres that are underwater in his parish.

Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain met with dozens of farmers and ranchers at Mibermel Plantation Friday. Strain says the wheat crop will have a substantial loss. He says the flooding is deep on the corn, beans and some rice fields.

Even after the water recedes, Strain says the effects will continue to be felt. He says rehabilitating the land to support crops and grass again is a process that's going to take time.