Texas' crawfish season is set to be on par this year, despite an early delay in late January caused by the multi-day hard freeze.
Though supply lagged a bit in stores early in the season, Texas A&M Agrilife said in a recent report that supply should keep up with strong demand.
Texas crawfish season
Production levels for crawfish are normal for the state at this point in the season, Agrilife's report says. Pricing is holding at about $4 to $5 per pound, depending on the region, which is elevated due to the demand.
Agrilife expects only a small price drop this season, likely around $0.50 per pound. This should kick in once the supply delays from the freeze dissipate.
The state has about 15,000 to 20,000 acres in production, with southeast Texas leading the industry. Each acre yields about 500-650 pounds of crawfish in an average year.
In contrast to the thriving crawfish production, many regions across the state are reporting dry conditions this season, Agrilife reports.
What they're saying:
"In terms of production, crawfish farms are having a normal year," Sink said. "The only thing we’re seeing is the product didn’t make it to retail vendors as rapidly because of the late January freeze that slowed harvest for a few weeks."
The Source: Information in this article comes from Texas A&M Agrilife.