IT'S ALL ABOUT SUPPLY AND DEMAND!The Lenten season means crawfish season as many rid their diet of meat. But is the supply meeting the demand? Now that seafood is on the menu, crawfish are in high demand but many farmers are going out to the fields to find that the supply just isn't meeting the demand.
David Savoy of Savoy Crawfish Farms says, "Crawfish has been slow to kick off. Whether they'll kick off to the degree it was last year, I'm not really sure. It's awful late. Last year, we were probably about 50% of what we were last year and the demand naturally is there earlier there earlier because lent being early. The two are not jiving too good right now."
When farmers flooded their fields in october, the rain events were few and far between. The crawfish came out late pushing harvest time back about a month and a half. And birds are also working against the crop.
"When you're first putting water on them and the mama's are coming out with babies, when that bird eats a crawfish, he's eating a sack because all the little babies are on the mama's tail," says Savoy.
As far as prices, well, they're going to be high.
"Our cost of diesel has probably gone up one and a half times from last year. That makes everything go up. The cost of getting bait here, the cost of getting crawfish to the market."
But you can cut some corners.
"If you want good fresh crawfish at the cheapest price you can buy them, find you a farmer. 85-90% of them will sell to you."
There is one right before you get to China (I think it's in Devers) on Hwy 90 that will sell to you. Or at least they used to (about 5 years ago). That's how long it's been since I"ve been there. The cost is better than going to market.
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