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 and a forecast for the 2025 crop. Despite significant challenges, the presentations struck a mostly positive tone.
Dr. Kenneth Gravois told attendees that Hurricane Francine, which made landfall on September 11 as a category 2 storm at 100 miles per hour “did a number on the sugarcane crop in the southeast portion of the cane belt.” Dr. Gravois said, “the hurricane area never had the rate of sugar recovery that growers in other areas of the cane belt did as the hurricane destroyed the canopy needed to both make sugar and keep sugar.”
Despite the hurricane and the historic 2023 drought Dr. Gravois said that preliminary reports show the 2024 crop set records for acreage, amount of cane processed and daily average factory grinding rates. His report shows:
- 536,000 total acres of sugarcane in 2024 versus 431,000 in 2019
- Daily average factory grinding rate: 15,536 in 2024 versus 11,622 in 2011 (tons per day)
- Total tons processed: 17,366,116 (highest ever in one season
- 2,091,076 tons of sugar produced
Dr. Gravois credits the emphasis on research helping develop more resilient sugarcane varieties and more efficient processes for growers as well as sugar mills focusing on increasing capacity and efficiencies as keys to the continued growth of the Louisiana sugar cane industry.
“This past year was a tale of two crops,” said Dr. Gravois. “The first part was average, pedestrian, and the back half where we got to younger crops and better land really increased the outlook for this crop.”
He predicted a new variety of sugarcane would likely be released this year and said the outlook is good for 2025 as two of the biggest predictors for the quality of a crop are wet weather in November and December. He noted that both months were relatively dry, which is a good sign.
American Sugar Cane League General Manager Jim Simon gave an update on Congressional action in late December that made sugar producers eligible for the disaster assistance program for the 2023 and 2024 crops (drought and hurricane), assistance in stopping the circumventing of foreign countries sneaking sugar past United States Customs agents and funding to complete the move of the Houma research station to the more rural area of Schriever.
Attendees also heard about the latest research projects in the state concentrating on the discovery and eradication of diseases, fertilizer and pest control and the performance of sugar on the financial markets.
Next, similar meetings will be held for farmers across the state as the entire industry prepares for the 2025 planting season.