Surviving as a farmer

The switch was not easy, but it was one the Hebert family had to make to survive as a farmer in Vermilion Parish.
Dane Hebert, a third-generation farmer, and his daughter, Lauren, now a fourth-generation farmer, spoke on Wednesday morning at the Abbeville Rotary Club meeting.
Lauren was also presented with the 2024 Vermilion Parish Farmer of the Year award at the Rotary meeting. The Abbeville Rotary Club gives the award to a farmer each year.
The Hebert family attended the meeting to inform the Rotarians about family farming in Vermilion Parish.
The father and daughter teamed up to speak about the farming industry and their experiences this past year.
The Heberts are long-time rice and crawfish farmers, and they farm a combined 2,000 acres in the northern part of the parish.
Each Hebert farms about 1,000 acres.
Today, the Heberts must follow the money and farm what will pay the bills.
Last year, sugar cane was the big winner in Vermilion Parish, raking in a cool $50 million. The little mudbug, the crawfish, came in second, which brought in $35 million. The beef industry followed closely with $32 million, and the rice industry rounded things out with $25 million.
The farming industry in Vermilion Parish generates just over $142 million. 
The Heberts, long-time rice farmers, are now also sugar cane farmers. They planted their first sugar cane crop a couple of years ago. Next month, they will begin harvesting it and hauling it to the mill in St. Mary Parish.
“It is something that I have been thinking about for a long time,” said Lauren about making the switch. “We can not afford to buy the equipment in the rice industry. I want to be farming for a long time.”
She said making the switch from rice to sugar cane came with challenges.
“The hardest part was our egos,” said Lauren. “We had to ask for help because we never farmed sugar before.   The hardest part was taking advice from someone not part of your family.”
The St. Mary Sugar Mill Co-Op will help harvest the sugar cane and haul it to the rice mill. 
Rice crops are gradually disappearing, while sugarcane farming is increasingly taking over in Vermilion Parish.
There are still 63,000 acres of rice farming in Vermilion Parish. The crop generates $25 million. Compared to sugar cane, there are 48,000 acres of sugar cane, and the revenue generated is $50 million.
Sugar cane was planted on 15,000 fewer acres in the parish last year, but it generated $25 million more in revenue. That fact is why Lauren is slowly growing more sugar cane. 
 Lauren said, “It was a no-brainer to farm sugar cane. As a young farmer, I must do what is best for me.”