A legacy in the soil

Joe Costanza carries on his family’s legacy of farming with his two sons through rice and beans
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A farming legacy has continued over the generations in Evangeline Parish with fathers passing onto their sons the family business of growing rice, soybeans, and crawfish. But, this legacy has steadily declined over the last few decades.
“Years and years ago, almost everybody had a little farm, and now there are very few farmers,” said local farmer Joe Costanza. “It’s not like it used to be. “
He added, “It’s a lot of long hours and a lot of long days. It’s hard to get into it today because it costs a lot, and it’s tough. A lot of kids don’t have anybody to help them get started like my two boys. Fortunately, I can help get them started and keep it going.”
Costanza is a product of this farming legacy as he grew up on his father’s farm where his dad planted rice and soybeans and raised crawfish. “Years and years ago, dad crawfished a lot, and we just got out of it,” he said. “Now, with the paddle boats and stuff like that, you can run down a lot more traps. When we were crawfishing, it was all on foot.”
“Dad helped me and my brother get started,” Costanza continued. “We rented us a piece of land, and he let us use his equipment until we got on our feet and were able to buy us a tractor.”
Costanza has been farming on his own since 1983 when he made his first crop loan. He explained what the farming was like in those early years. “It was dry weather, and it was tough,” he said. “But, we got through it. We started off with about 600 acres that dad rented to my brother and I in LeMoine off of Highway 71.”
“We rented that and had rice and soybeans there,” he continued. “We had a little corn too. Then, the next year, we rented some more land in Prairie Ronde that was all soybeans and corn. And, then finally, we just started renting more and more land. That’s how we got started, and we kept growing.”
That 600 acres in LeMoine grew to roughly three thousand acres in L’Anse aux Pailles, around 700 acres behind Costanza’s home in Grand Prairie, and roughly 230 acres in Plaisance. Costanza compared the land in each of the locations. “What we had in LeMoine was the top part and was all some pretty good sand and row crop dirt,” he said. “The back was all some old clay land like what’s behind the house. Behind the house is all clay land like in Whiteville because we’re down that same hill.”
He continued, “Over here (in L’Anse aux Pailles), it’s different. It’s more prairie land. It’s easier to work and higher ground. Behind the house is low and will go under water.”
Helping Costanza work all this dirt on the thousands of acres are his two sons Lance and Joe, Jr., who are looking to continue this family legacy.
“I’m still in college, but I’ve been around here all of my life with dad,” Lance said. I’m still learning everything, but, every now and then, he lets me drive the combine. Being that I’m still in school, I’m still part time and not here everyday.”
His brother Joe, Jr., enjoys the harvesting aspect of farming because “you just see everything coming up and what you made.” He added, “That’s when it all pays off.”
“I’m doing with (Joe) like my dad did with me and my brother, said Costanza. “We rented him a piece, and I’m helping him with the equipment and helping him get started.”
Even though getting started was tough for the elder Costanza, he said that he has seen some good and bad years since then. “We’re always under the gun with the weather,” he stated. “We never know what the weather will be. We might get a flood or a drought. We just never know, but overall farming is good.”
As far as the weather, the Costanzas had to battle against ever changing weather conditions. “We had cold weather for a long time,” Costanza said. “Then, when it finally warmed up and dried up, it just got hot and dry all of a sudden.”
“Right now the crops are good and look good,” he continued. “For the rice, we’re pumping a lot of water. The wells are running to keep up. It goes quick when we have the heat like this and dry like it is. The soybeans are still growing but need some water. A little rain won’t hurt them.”
When the weather is right, Costanza laughed as he said “a normal day is from sun up to dark thirty” He added, “We do get a little break sometimes. When we get caught up, we get a little break in the summer. And, in the winter, we try to take some time to rest up and hunt.
With all the factors involved like the weather and the long days, Costanza expressed that he still enjoys farming. “Everyday is different, and every year is different,” he said. “I know we plant rice and soybeans every year, but we’re always going to have a little different year. We’re going to run across something different every year, so it’s never the same old thing.”
He concluded, “We need to farm and we need food. Food is a big thing in the United Stated. It’s special to farm and to be able to feed the world.”