Hurricane Lili brought two things River Parishes farmers did not need – wind and rain – during the critical harvest season for some crops.

Preliminary estimates from experts with the LSU AgCenter show the heaviest damage probably was suffered by the state’s sugarcane and cotton farmers near the storm’s path through southern and central Louisiana. But they point out losses also will be seen in other enterprises ranging from soybeans to the state’s coastal wetlands – particularly since Lili came on the heels of Tropical Storm Isidore.

LSU AgCenter crop specialists pegged sugarcane losses as high as 35 percent in some areas and cotton losses could exceed 50 percent in several locations.

“The storm passed through a good portion of Louisiana’s Cane Belt,” said LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist Dr. Ben Legendre, explaining the biggest problem with sugarcane is a condition known as lodging – where the stalks are blown over by high winds. “Where we saw as much as 90 percent of the cane lodged as a result of Isidore, now it looks as though 100 percent of the cane is lodged. It started to straighten up and it was pushed the other way by Lili.”

Lodging can slow down harvesting and increase fuel, labor and overall harvest costs. It means harvesters cannot operate efficiently, which causes an increases in the amount of trash going to the mill, transportation costs and sugar quality.

Losses varied by parish and experts estimated the overall average loss for farmers could be as high as $100-$150 per acre.

As for cotton, LSU AgCenter researcher Dr. Sandy Stewart said strong winds and rain from Hurricane Lili severely affected the cotton crop in south and central Louisiana – where he estimated as much as 50 percent of cotton may have been blown to the ground, making it unfit for harvest.

“Based on visual observations and my experience, the extent of the damage ranges from 20 percent to more than 50 percent,” Stewart said.

Stewart also said quality losses will be seen from water damage to already harvested cotton waiting to be ginned and to “weathered cotton” still in the fields.

“My concerns have shifted to the cumulative effect of rainfall from Lili and rains we are currently receiving,” Stewart said. “Continuous rainfall can allow for the entry of pathogens into the boll as it opens, resulting in hard-locked cotton.”

Many southeastern Louisiana fields have shown evidence of boll rot epidemics.

“These bolls had already begun to rot due to wet conditions prior to Lili and the heavy rain associated with the hurricane,” he said. “Any more rain is likely to further the deterioration, and losses will therefore continue to mount in many fields. The overall scenario is not promising.”

As for other losses, among the major areas of damage were Louisiana’s coastal wetlands.

“The marshes of coastal Louisiana were hit very hard, and several of our protective barrier islands were breached,” said LSU AgCenter wetlands and coastal resources specialist Dr. Rex Caffey. “These strips of land are critical as a first line of defense against storms.”

Caffey said saltwater driven into these coastal areas by storm surges also could do additional damage to the coastal wetlands – particularly loss of vegetation which, in turn, could lead to more coastal erosion.

“There is also an economic concern about marsh health as we enter the waterfowl hunting season,” Caffey said. “Damaged marsh and camps could spell tremendous problems for coastal landowners who rely heavily on lease income from hunters seeking ducks and geese.”

The state’s nursery industry was not spared from damage from the back-to-back storms. Severe damage was done to greenhouses and “shade structures” used by nurseries in south Louisiana, including in the River Parishes, and some plant losses were recorded.

Another problem was the loss of power in some areas. The nursery businesses depend on power to run heating and cooling systems in the greenhouses and to run some of the irrigation systems.

Many water oaks and other columnar trees and smaller ornamental trees like crape myrtles were pushed over or split, and a lot of pines were snapped in home landscapes.

Even area pastures suffered some damage, according to LSU AgCenter forage specialist Dr. Ed Twidwell, who said cattle producers would likely see reduced grazing days because of wet pastures, lower hay production and reduced hay quality, among other problems, because of the storms.

Sugarcane production and processing meant nearly $620 million to Louisiana last year, while cotton was a $292 million crop in 2001, Twidwell said.