Harvest Report From TWILA-TV
This Week In Louisiana Agriculture visited with sugarcane farmer Bobby Morris in West Baton Rouge and got his take on the first three weeks of the harvest.
You've found Sugarcane in the News, the home of the official American Sugar Cane League press releases and other news stories about the sugar industry. In this section you will find links to the Sugar News, our email newsletter about the the people who have made sugarcane the Louisiana's number one crop for more than two centuries. You can sign up to receive the Sugar News in your mailbox here.
There's also a link to The Sugar Bulletin, the League's monthly magazine, and its advertising rates and subscrption information. The Sugar Bulletin has been published since 1922 and you can research the sugar industry archives by clicking here or in the drop list to the left. The American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists archives are also available.
Check back frequently to stay up to date on breaking news, legislative issues and other important information about the sugar industry.
Sweet Start
Neil Melancon of This Week in Louisiana Agriculture filed this great video story on the start of the sugarcane harvest in south Louisiana.
Houston-based company planning $100 million plant in St. Martinville that would use sugar cane waste to make ethanol
Louisiana's sugarcane industry has a $3 billion impact on the state's economy. The cane stalk is ground and squeezed forcing the plant to give up its juice to make sugar. Bagasse, the fibrous leftover of the plant, is burned to create energy in the steam boilers that power the mill. But not all the bagasse can be used and…
On eve of sugarcane harvest, farmers anxiously await results from months of labor
Sugarcane is one of Louisiana’s top money makers and ensures a way of life for farmers across the state. Now, after a slow start to the year, sugarcane farmers anxiously await harvest. "This crop started out, it was really slow, and actually it was slow until about three or four weeks ago,” said Cecil Ramagos, a third-generation sugarcane farmer…
Louisiana Business and Industry Association honors League
The American Sugar Cane League has been honored by the Louisiana Assocaition of Business and Industry (LABI) as the Economic Development Partner of the Year. The award recognizes exceptional leadership by an economic development or business organization. League president Greg Gravois and League manager Jime Simon will accept the award on the League's behalf at the September 5, 2019…
LSU AgCenter scientists to study sugarcane cold tolerance in central Louisiana
(08/20/19) ALEXANDRIA, La. — The fields at the LSU AgCenter Dean Lee Research and Extension Center have seen all sorts of crop trials over the years — but never any involving sugarcane. Story by LSU AgCenter Write Olivia McClure That’s because the facility is located near Alexandria, long considered too far north to cultivate the tropical plant without putting…
Iberville Parish sugarcane farmer named King Sucrose LXXVIII
The Louisiana Sugarcane Festival has a new King Sucrose. It's Al Landry Jr. of White Castle. The Daily Iberian reported the news in its July 30, 2019 edition. Here's the report: The Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival has a new King Sucrose. He was crowned Sunday at the official announcement party held at the home of David and Madeline Kessler…
World sugar price hit rock bottom, poised for recovery
The international sugar industry is meeting August 2-7, 2019 at the 36th International Sweetener Symposium in Asheville, North Carolina. Here's the Aug. 5 press release from the American Sugar Alliance, which represents Louisiana and the rest of the American sugar industry. The world sugar market, which has been battered by low prices, may soon get a reprieve, according…
A sugar cane experiment in Louisiana, years in the making, released this month for farmers
ST. GABRIEL — In a sense, two new sugar cane varieties announced at a public gathering this week were more than a century years in the making. The crossbred cane, developed at LSU's sugar research station in St. Gabriel and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's station in Houma, started as experimental seedlings among thousands of others years ago. Long-sought…
Raising sugarcane is south Louisiana way of life, positioned for growth
As America's love affair with sugar continues, Louisiana sugarcane production is expected tofeed its voracious appetite, closingin on 500,000 acres, experts say.But it's harder to say what this year's harvest will yield."A lot of things go into a good crop," said Kenneth Gravois, LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialist. "Weather from here on out is the first thing."Last year's weather is…
Sugarcane farmers are battling muddy conditions
For the past few months, sugarcane farmers have been busy harvesting their crops to get it off to the mill.And, with the number of sugarcane acreage increasing in Acadiana, local sugarcane plants have been processing a near record amount of product again this fall.However, not all the product that they process is pure sugarcane.According to John Hebert, Agriculture Division…
Sugarcane crop might break records despite multiple setbacks
Amid inclement weather, weaker sugar recovery and less than ideal field conditions, Louisiana's sugar cane crop and its farmers are holding strong and may even break last year's harvesting record.Specialists with the LSU Agricultural Center are predicting a yield of more than 16 million tons of sugar, despite sugar recovery from each ton of cane being down from 2017…
