Geospatial Mapping of Agro-Livestock Industry in Louisiana: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

Livestock production plays a crucial role in Louisiana’ agricultural sector, supporting rural communities, enhancing food security, and driving economic activity throughout the state. Despite growing research on livestock in Louisiana, this study offers a comprehensive view of the changes in Louisiana’s livestock farming, addressing a gap in research that usually focuses on separate aspects. It aims to inform strategies that support the industry’ sustainability and resilience. This study uses secondary data from credible sources to analyze livestock inventories, farm numbers, and economic indicators. This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze trends, opportunities, and challenges in Louisiana’s livestock industry. That is, a GIS-based method was used to visualize parish-level cattle, calf, and beef cow production in Louisiana for 2022, 2023, and 2024. Livestock data was organized into an attribute table in ArcGIS Pro and linked to Louisiana’s shapefile. Six maps were created using the symbology tool and a graduated color scheme to illustrate the spatial distribution of cattle and beef cows across the state. Quantitative analysis also assessed changes in livestock numbers, farm sizes, and economic impact using time-series data, while qualitative insights were structured around a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) framework to evaluate key factors affecting the sector. The study reveals that Louisiana’ livestock sector has become more efficient, but it faces recent declines in cattle and dairy production due to climate stress, rising costs, and the aging of producers. This study recommends that for Louisiana to advance, efforts should be directed toward implementing climate-resilient strategies, expanding local processing capacity, and supporting beginning farmers.