Congressman Clay Higgins is asking the United States Department of Agriculture to step in by providing federal dollars for Louisiana’s crawfish industry.The summer drought and recent freeze that has devastated production have caused a trickling effect on the consumer. According to Higgins, the drought has led to an alarming decrease in crawfish production across approximately 45,000 acres of ponds. The Louisiana State University’s Agriculture Center says the state could take an economic toll. According to the LSUAg Center, the estimated potential losses are nearly $140 million due to the drought and freeze. This figure represents a significant portion of the state’s $230 million crawfish industry, underscoring the severity of the situation, according to Higgins.Dr. Greg Lutz with the LSU AgCenter said production could ramp up before the end of the season, but harvest will still be low. Customers are seeing prices as high as $13 a pound for live crawfish in the New Orleans area.In 2021, Congressman Higgins secured assistance for the crawfish industry through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program after the 2021 freeze. You can read Higgin's letter to the federal government here.