By DAVE THIER
A fisherman drives a boat and grabs crayfish traps in a rice field in Gueydan, La. Photo: Michael Stravato for The New York Times
GUEYDAN, La. — Donald Benoit’s rice fields are pristine enough for a picture postcard. Long, straight rows of bright green grain protrude from crystal clear water, with not a weed in sight. But one thing looks out of place.
Between every row is a long line of traps with bright orange tops that poke out of the water every few feet. They are there because Mr. Benoit is not really using these fields to grow rice. His primary crop is the crayfish (called crawfish around here) teeming in the shallow water. The rice is just there to feed them.
Mr. Benoit, 63, has lived his whole life in Gueydan, (pronounced GAY-don), about three hours west of New Orleans. His father farmed rice and his grandfather shipped it, but like many other South Louisiana farmers, Mr. Benoit is finding that it pays to look at a rice field and see a crayfish pond.
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