A lot of rice acerage was damaged by Hurricane Rita in 2005 and again by Hurricane Gustav in 2008 by intrusion of salt water driven up from the Gulf of Mexico by the strong winds. Rice will not grow in salty water. With heavy rains, this salt can be rinsed out, but we have also had semi-drought conditions since these storms.

Rice is planted in the spring after the last frost, and harvested in mid-summer. If left alone, the rice will re-head providing a second crop, which can be harvested in the fall. Many rice farmers flood their rice fields after the last harvest, leaving the rice stubble, so that the farm will attract and produce crawfish - which is almot a Louisiana tradition.

Rice and crawfish go hand in hand.