William Tate, President of LSU, toured The A and L Lawson crawfish and rice farm in Crowley Wednesday and said the tour is really important to all Louisiana communities.
According to Tate, the state legislature will be funding the investment.
The goal of the tour is to learn more about some of the state’s key industries to ensure alignment with LSU’s priorities.
Tate said the agenda prioritizes agriculture, biomedical, energy, defenses, and coastal resilience.
"They told me that without LSU and the work that's related to genetics and harvest rotation they would have a very difficult time sustaining their industry and I believe them," said Tate.
The 1,000-mile road trip will travel across Louisiana.
Tate said information gathered during the tour will help to put the finishing touches on all the details needed.
Alan Lawson has been a crawfish farmer in Crowley for many years and said he is happy that the tour took place.
"Well anytime you can get the folks from the university here to see where their research dollars are spent and how they actually get put into place and how that really impacts at the farm gate that's a great thing to really be able to get our message out," said Lawson.
The A and L Lawson crawfish and rice farm has 1,000 acres of crawfish and in Louisiana there are over 250,000 acres of crawfish farms.
The other stops on the tour include Monroe, Alexandria, Jeanerette, Natchitoches, Crowley, Chopin, New Orleans, and Lake Charles.
