Mississippians do not have to look far to see the impact of the Midwest’s historic drought, as the state’s catfish farmers already feel the pinch of sky-high feed costs.
“There was a window last fall when some farmers were able to book feed at $380 per ton,” said Jimmy Avery, Mississippi State University Extension aquaculture specialist and director of the Southern Regional Aquaculture Center. “Feed costs stayed around $400 per ton for the early part of the growing season but skyrocketed to almost $570 per ton in the last few weeks.
“Couple that increase with fish prices falling from $1.35 per pound to 75 cents per pound, and there is no doubt that the majority of farmers will lose money until something turns around,” he said.

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