Each year, sugarcane and sugarbeet farmers, millers and refiners set aside their daily work, swap their muddy boots for dress shoes and step into the historic halls of Capitol Hill. Again, this year the American Sugar Cane League joined forces with the American Sugar…
Cheryl Michelet
Fueling Louisiana’s Sweet Success: How Research Keeps the Sugarcane Industry Thriving
Louisiana’s sugarcane industry isn’t just a part of the state’s history—it’s a driving force in its economy, generating roughly $4 billion annually and providing jobs across farms, research facilities, and raw sugar factories. Sustaining this vital industry requires…
A lifetime in sugarcane: Kenneth Gravois honored with prestigious chair
BATON ROUGE, La. — As a young boy, Kenneth Gravois was a voracious reader, and on his regular reading list — the American Sugar Cane League’s Sugar Bulletin. “It came in the mail twice a month, and I devoured it,” Gravois said. “I just thought it was fascinating.” He…
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…
Louisiana sugarcane sets new milestones in 2024, fueled by innovation and research
On a mild winter’s day in Raceland, Louisiana, a dedicated group of researchers, agronomists and staff from The American Sugar Cane League, LSU AgCenter and Sugarcane Research Unit in Houma gathered to hear preliminary reports about the 2024 harvest, research projects…
Farmers from Canada discover Louisiana’s Sugarcane Belt: a shared passion for farming
If there’s one thing that transcends borders, languages and generations, it’s the shared experience of farming. That bond was evident when Kevin and Kayla Veenstra, a farming couple from Alberta, Canada, swapped the icy grip of a Canadian winter for an unseasonably…




