Herman Waguespack, Jr. grew up in Vacherie, La. After graduating from Ascension Catholic High School, he attended Nicholls State University to earn a B.S. in Agriculture Business. While at Nicholls, he was president of the NSU Ag Club and served as president of Delta Tau Alpha honorary agriculture fraternity. He was named the outstanding Ag graduate of 1981. He is a Nicholls Hall of Fame graduate and was featured in Who’s Who among American College Students.

Upon graduation, he worked as a sugarcane farm manager for Caire and Graugnard. He also served as a Farm Bureau insurance agent in St. James parish for several years. In 1985, Waguespack began his career as a sugarcane agronomist for the American Sugar Cane League (ASCL) and worked with researchers and farmers throughout the state to develop new varieties and test new technology for the advancement of the Louisiana sugarcane industry. He completed his studies at LSU and graduated with a Master’s degree in agronomy in 1996.

Since 1986, Waguespack has worked with the Louisiana sugarcane variety development team to release 18 new sugarcane varieties for commercial production. His work with the researchers has helped to formulate new recommendations for growers in this ever-changing industry. He has worked closely with growers throughout the state by participating in mechanical harvester studies to determine how growers can best utilize combine harvesters in Louisiana. He has participated in studies to help growers utilize the residue left in the field after harvest to promote stubble longevity and reduce sediment runoff.

In tandem with engineers and farmers, Waguespack and other ASCL agronomists have also conducted studies to help improve mechanical planting and other important tools for the industry. He has served as president of the Louisiana Division of the American Society of Sugarcane Technologists and currently represents the sugar industry on the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program Conference.

He and his wife, Lisa, live in Thibodaux.