Raising Cane In Louisiana
Louisiana has been growing sugarcane and producing sugar for more than 200 years. Here's how we do it.
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.
A Season of Sweet Finishes
December brings a shift in pace for many families, but for Louisiana’s sugarcane growers and millers it marks the final push toward the end of harvest. Fields are still active, trucks are still hauling and mills are still running day and night. So far, the crop is showing sugar levels at or above the record numbers we saw in…
Protecting the Privilege: Responsible Sugarcane Burning in Louisiana
By: Katie Richard, American Sugar Cane League Agronomist Sugarcane burning is an important part of harvest in Louisiana, but it only works when everyone treats it with the responsibility it requires. The LSU AgCenter’s guidelines for agricultural burning and smoke management exist for a reason. Smoke and ash can drift onto roads, neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, and other areas, creating…
Industry Profile: Kassi Leger, Finding Her Purpose in the Cane Fields
For Kassi Leger, farming sugarcane was not part of the original plan. After working in sales, she realized the career did not fit and called her father in April 2012 with a proposal: “I think I’m going to come and be on the farm for a little while until I can figure it out.” She never left. Growing up,…
Louisiana’s Sweet Tradition Rolls Through Thanksgiving
November is a season of gratitude, a time when most farmers across the country have wrapped up their harvests and turned their attention to winter and next year’s plans. It is very different in the cane belt. For Louisiana’s sugarcane producers, November means one thing, the hardest push of the year. While families gather around their Thanksgiving tables,…
Commissioner Strain: Field Burning Alert
A Dense Fog Advisory is in effect Conditions continue to become more favorable for widespread fog including dense fog. A greater concern is the possibility of Super Fog developing. Numerous fires mainly due to burning of agricultural fields like Sugar Cane debris, were seen on satellite and radar today. If any of these are still smoldering overnight, it could easily lead…
Industry Profile: Dr. Matt Foster, LSU AgCenter Sugarcane Weed Scientist
When Dr. Matt Foster steps into a sugarcane field, he’s not just checking rows of cane, he is on the lookout for anything that might threaten the crop that defines South Louisiana. Foster grew up in Vidalia, Louisiana, where his first job in agriculture was working for a local farmer and crop consultant. That hands-on start eventually led him…
Harvest 2025: A season to work and celebrate
If you have been anywhere near a cane field lately, you can feel it. The trucks are on the road before daylight, steam from the mills is back in the air and harvest season is officially underway. After a long summer of waiting, planning and watching the weather, growers and millers have finally started the grinding season. There is…
From policy challenges to award-winning farmers, Louisiana sugarcane stands tall at Farm Bureau Convention
Louisiana’s sugarcane growers made their mark in more ways than one at this year’s Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Convention in New Orleans. From important conversations on federal food policy to field-level conservation breakthroughs and a strong showing at the annual awards banquet, it was a week that reminded everyone just how vital sugarcane is to the state’s agricultural community…
A new variety and a new chapter for Louisiana sugarcane
In Louisiana, sugarcane isn’t just a crop, it is part of who we are. And this summer, the people who grow it, grind it and study it will come together once again for a tradition that keeps this industry strong: field days. Hosted by the United States Department of Agriculture, LSU AgCenter, and the American Sugar Cane League, these…
American Sugar Cane League Announces New Variety Highlighting Successful Research Partnership
THIBODAUX, LA – The American Sugar Cane League, in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the LSU AgCenter, has announced the release of USDS ARS HoCP 18-803, another new variety for Louisiana sugarcane farmers to utilize. This milestone is the latest result of more than five decades of collaboration between the…
Real sugar aligns with a growing desire for simpler, more natural foods
When it comes to what goes on our kids’ lunch trays, parents are clear: they want meals that are clean, natural and free from chemical additives. Now, with SB 117 and SB 14 moving through the 2025 Louisiana legislative session, lawmakers are beginning to listen. These bills mirror a national push to get ultra-processed food out of school cafeterias,…
The Rising Tide of Costs for Louisiana Sugarcane Farmers
Louisiana sugarcane grower Travis Medine approached the 101st annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, hosted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Washington, D.C., with mixed feelings. “It’s difficult to leave because you’re always thinking about what you could be doing,” he admitted, citing a constant mental list of unfinished tasks. But his passion for farming has led him…
