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, she felt farming was just for fun and felt like a guy’s world. There were few women in the field and even fewer to learn from directly. Once she immersed herself in agriculture and discovered the depth of skill, knowledge, support and opportunity within the sugarcane industry she was hooked and realized it was where she belonged.
“I was so enthralled,” she said. “Then I found my purpose.”
Where Farming Meets Flooding
In South Louisiana, water is always on a farmer’s mind. For Kassi, managing drainage is not just part of her job, it is a way she serves her community.
“Drainage is our life,” she said. “We have to be concerned about getting water off our land all the time.”
That expertise makes her a go-to resource for neighbors, city council members and parish officials concerned about flooding. She is often called to advise on water issues, especially when heavy rain threatens homes and businesses. From clearing drains to helping design solutions that prevent erosion, her work benefits more than just her crop. It protects entire neighborhoods.
Development brings new challenges. Houses built in the middle of cane fields can disrupt carefully designed drainage systems. “We just try to be good stewards of the land and teach others to do the same” Kassi said. “Because it benefits us all in the long run.”
A Career of Constant Challenges and Growth
Farming sugarcane in South Louisiana means working in a narrow growing window and under the constant influence of the weather. Freezes, unusual snowfall and heavy rains can all set the crop back.
Every day brings something new and that is part of why Kassi loves it. “I love a good challenge,” she said. “You are always thinking, always trying to improve yourself because that is what makes your crop better.”
She also values the camaraderie in the sugarcane community where neighbors exchange ideas and innovations from new cultivation techniques to engineering solutions for drainage.
More than a decade after returning to the family operation, Kassi’s passion has not waned. “I cannot imagine myself not farming ever,” she said. “This is the greatest industry to be a sugarcane farmer.”