A tale of two freezes: The impact of snow and frigid temps on the 2025 sugarcane crop

Louisiana’s sugarcane farmers are once again assessing the impact of extreme winter weather on their fields. The most recent freeze, which brought frigid temperatures but no snowfall, raised concerns about potential damage to the 2025 crop. Unlike the historic snowstorm in early January, which provided an insulating layer of protection, this latest cold snap arrived with only rain, leaving crops without nature’s protective blanket.

“The main concern was how deeply the cold penetrated the soil, but after assessing crops in the cane belt, it appears that damage is minimal. You can already see the cane starting to green again,” said Wilson Judice, an agronomist with the American Sugar Cane League. “You can see on the tops of the plants that anything that started to grow before the temperatures plummeted was impacted, but underneath those tops, the green is already showing again, which means most of the cane had enough energy to recover.”

Judice noted that any damage is likely to be limited to stubble, ratooned cane that has already been the source of several harvests, or cane that was planted in less-than-ideal conditions. He said more dry, sunny days are needed to get the cane “jumping” again.

How Historic Snowfall May Have Protected Sugarcane from Freeze Damage

The historic snowstorm that blanketed south Louisiana in January 2025 came with a chilling punch—temperatures plummeted to single digits, freezing much of the region. For Louisiana’s sugarcane farmers, the cold snap brought a sense of déjà vu, evoking memories of the devastating freeze of 1989. But this time, an unexpected ally emerged: snow.

In 1989, a similar cold front hit Louisiana, but without the protective cover of snow. The freeze, combined with dry conditions, had devastating consequences for the region’s sugarcane crops. “In 1989, there was no snow and no moisture to protect the roots,” Judice explained. “That freeze was much drier, and the snow would have made all the difference back then.” This time, the rare snow event served as a blanket, insulating the ground and preventing the kind of damage that devastated cane farmers decades ago.

For Judice, the real concern during such extreme cold isn’t the above-ground cane, which has already been harvested, but the roots beneath the soil. “Right now the harvest is finished, so we’re not worried about mature cane deteriorating. We’re worried about the roots,” Judice said. “The snow acts like a blanket, insulating the roots of the cane.” This insulating layer, he explained, adds several inches of protection to the ground, preventing the roots from freezing and ensuring that the buds, which will regenerate the next crop, remain viable.

The snow’s effect is similar to the role that ice played during the January freeze, particularly in places like Alexandria. Judice pointed out that below-ground temperature readings in the northern part of the cane belt stayed above 35-36 degrees Fahrenheit thanks to a layer of ice, which kept the underground temperature from dipping dangerously low. “The snow and ice did the same thing. Even though we had a lot more snow this time, it protected the roots,” he said.

The ability of snow and ice to insulate is critical because if the roots freeze, the buds—those crucial points of germination for the next sugarcane cycle—will die, resulting in a crop failure. “It’s a double-edged sword,” Judice said, reflecting on the complex nature of such weather events. “Conditions may set themselves up to be problematic, but a layer of snow or ice means that everything should be fine.”

Modern Sugarcane Varieties and Cold Resistance

While the snow’s insulating effect is a big part of the 2025 crop’s potential survival, the more resilient, cold-tolerant varieties of sugarcane that have been developed over the years also play a critical role. Sugarcane Specialist Dr. Kenneth Gravois emphasized that newer sugarcane varieties are bred with increased cold tolerance, which improves their ability to withstand harsh temperatures.

“This is certainly an unusual event,” Gravois said, “but we think that with the science of our new varieties, we can mitigate some of the effects of extreme cold.” Unlike in 1989, when older varieties struggled to survive the freeze, today’s varieties are more resilient, providing an added layer of protection against such extreme weather.

The Road Ahead

Despite the promising signs, the full extent of the damage from both the recent freeze and the January snowstorm won’t be clear for another month or more. The cane remains dormant during the winter, and it’s only once temperatures begin to rise and the sun comes back out that the plants will start to “wake up.” As Gravois noted, “We won’t know the true extent of the damage for a month to a month and a half, when the sun starts to shine and knocks the cane out of its winter dormancy.”

But thanks to a combination of snow cover during the earlier freeze and more resilient sugarcane varieties, Louisiana’s sugarcane industry may have weathered the worst of this winter’s challenges. “It’s always hard to say what’s going to happen,” Gravois said, reflecting on the unpredictable nature of farming. “But the advances we’ve made in breeding and the protective layer of snow give us hope for a strong 2025 crop.”