Ag Commish Mike Strain Looks Ahead to Ag in 2020

2019 was an up and down year for Louisiana agriculture, a year marked by trade war sales woes, and the Legislature’s decision to allow hemp production. So what’s 2020 have in store for Louisiana farmers?

Louisiana Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says we’ve hit the 13 billion dollar mark in Ag revenue, and if the trade wars can come to a conclusion next year, we should blast right past that mark.

“I think we are going to cross the 13 billion dollar threshold, I expect that we are going to all of these, or most of these trade treaties in place, and I think we are going to start seeing a steady increase in the value of these commodities,” says Strain.

Strain’s confidence that next year will be a banner year for state ag is backed up by a series of announced plans by major producers in the state to invest in upgraded facilities for 2020.

“All the big industrial agricultural companies, RoyOMartin, Louis Dreyfus, all of those, they are making market investments in infrastructure to move more product to the world,” says Strain.

Strain says if trade deals can get agreed too, we’ll need an aggressive plan in place to facilitate the ensuing increase in demand. They’ve set out three goals for 2020.

“One, open the markets, two, grow the price, and three facilitate the growth in infrastructure, state and private, to move that product,” says Strain.