If you ask Denise Wright how she found her way into agricultural research and consulting, she won’t tell you it was part of some carefully planned career path. She’ll simply tell you she grew up in Bayou Jacque, loved being outdoors and loved agriculture.
That passion led her into farming before she found a career serving Louisiana producers through agricultural research and consulting. Today, Wright serves as executive director of the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association while also managing the SynTech Research farm in Cheneyville, where field trials are conducted on sugarcane, rice, soybeans, corn, cotton and many other crops grown across Louisiana.
Those two roles have given Wright a unique perspective on modern agriculture. She sees firsthand how research moves from experimental plots to working farms and how growers rely on trusted advisors to help put the latest science into practice.
Over the past two decades, she has watched the role of crop consultants evolve right alongside agriculture itself.
“Years ago, consultants were primarily scouting fields for insects, diseases and weeds,” Wright said. “Today they’re involved in everything from variety selection and fertilizer recommendations to precision agriculture, evaluating new technologies and helping growers make informed decisions throughout the growing season.”
Their goal, however, has never changed.
“Our mission is to help growers become more profitable while being good stewards of the land,” she said.
That mission makes crop consultants one of the many important partners supporting Louisiana agriculture. Working directly with growers, consultants spend countless hours walking fields, monitoring crop conditions and helping producers apply research-based recommendations to their individual farming operations.
Just as importantly, they help connect what is happening in the field with the people working to advance agriculture.
Throughout the year, consultants attend field days, winter grower meetings and educational programs to stay current on the latest research, new production practices and emerging technologies. The observations they make while working alongside growers also provide valuable insight that helps researchers and industry leaders better understand what is happening across Louisiana’s agricultural landscape.
Louisiana’s sugar industry has long been built on partnerships like these. For more than a century, the American Sugar Cane League has worked alongside the LSU AgCenter and the USDA’s Sugarcane Research Unit to support research, advocate for growers and help ensure new discoveries reach the people who can put them to work. Crop consultants represent another important part of that partnership by helping growers apply those recommendations while providing valuable observations from the farms they serve.
Every role is different, but every role matters.
Wright says consultants also provide something that isn’t listed in any job description. During difficult seasons, when weather, markets and other challenges weigh heavily on farm families, consultants are often there to provide encouragement along with technical advice.
“We work with these growers every day,” she said. “We become friends.”
She believes there is a common thread that connects everyone who works in agriculture, whether they’re farming, conducting research, advising growers or supporting the industry in other ways.
“You have to love the land,” Wright said. “You have to love the outdoors and once it gets into your blood, it’s hard to let go of it.”
It is a fitting description of Louisiana’s sugar industry as a whole. Every successful harvest is the result of growers, researchers, consultants, mills and industry organizations each doing what they do best. Their responsibilities may be different, but their goal is the same: producing a healthy crop today while ensuring Louisiana sugarcane remains strong for generations to come.