AP: Louisiana citrus farmers are seeing a mass influx of salt water that could threaten seedlings
Louisiana citrus farmers are seeing a mass influx of salt water that could threaten seedlings
BY SARA CLINE
Updated 3:22 PM EDT, September 29, 2023
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Commercial citrus growers have dwindled over the past few decades in south Louisiana, where farmers have had to battle hurricanes, flooding, invasive insects, freezes and drought to keep their groves alive.
The latest hurdle comes from a slow-moving threat a mass influx of
salt water from the Gulf of Mexico that is creeping up the drought-stricken Mississippi River. Not only is the saltwater intrusion threatening drinking water supplies for communities, but it can also kill citrus seedlings.
The issue is forcing farmers to brainstorm other ways to irrigate their crops with fresh water including storing the little rain water theyve gotten this summer, hauling in fresh water and establishing makeshift salination treatment facilities. Some are looking into whether they can afford, let alone get their hands on, an expensive reverse-osmosis machine.
Theyre going to have something up their sleeve. They know how to survive, but theres no getting around how dire the situation is, said Joey Breaux, the assistant commissioner of soil and water for the states agricultural department, about the farmers. Unless they have another source of irrigation water, or a way to pretreat irrigation water, it doesnt look too good.