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.
“Farming is a lifestyle that put me in touch with nature, which I see as a privilege.” Gene Adolph The average size of the Louisiana sugarcane farm is 1,000 acres so that makes Gene Adolph’s farm an average-sized farm. But Gene the farmer? Gene the farmer is anything but average. He has the usual sugarcane pedigree. He’s a fourth-generation…
Grower Profile: The Vallot Family "They've seen the Vallots work hard all these years." It’s fair to say the Grosse Isle community of Vermilion Parish is the “country” and it’s where the Vallot family has been farming sugarcane for five generations. Monte Vallot, 57, and his brother Donnie, 64, share equal responsibility and manage the 3,200 acres…
Sugarcane producer Paul Schexnayder doesn't call a lot of attention to his farming operation in Pointe Coupee Parish. He’s just concentrating on getting the most sugar out of the land. Like many farmers, he keeps a low profile and seemed a bit surprised that the Sugar News wanted to do a story on a country farmer. His mailing address…
The Lacours of Pointe Coupee George and cour; Gertrude Lacour Hawkins Pointe Coupee grower George Lacour is essentially a first-generation sugarcane farmer. Yes, his family has been in farming for generations in Louisiana but George only began to grow sugarcane commercially in 2002. Nevertheless, the Lacour family has been in Pointe Coupee Parish since 1782 so George has a…
Retire sugarcane farmer Harold Schexnayder Sr, 85, of White Castle, has been a public servant for his country, state, parish and community for a good portion of his life. After his tour of duty with the Air Force as a captain, Harold left the service and took his father’s place on the sugarcane farm in 1959. Story by Sam…
It was planting time when the Sugar News visited with Ronald R. Hebert Jr. He was supervising planting activities at a field just south of Highway 182 (the old U. S. 90) in Jeanerette. The soldier harvester and hand planters were dodging the August rains but Ronald was in good spirits. Photos: Ronald Hebert Jr. (above); Todd Morris and…
This is the story of four brothers, Dudley, Wilson, Roy and J.C. Viator, who started their farming careers in Iberia Parish in the 1940s. They were the sons of Abara and Mae Viator, descendants of Antonia Villatore, one of the original Spanish families who settled New Iberia in 1779. This story is available in a podcast. HEAR THE PODCAST…
L. J. Carmouche Progressive Down the Bayou Leonce J. Carmouche Jr. of Belle Rose doesn’t know exactly how long his family has been growing sugarcane in Assumption Parish but it’s a long time. He’s not really too concerned about genealogy. What’s on his mind is harvesting his sugarcane fields as quickly and efficiently as possible. "I don’t know the…
Rodney Simoneaux of Assumption Parish is surveying a wet field on the north side of Highway 38. Even though it’s late November, he’s hoping it will dry up enough to plant sugarcane. The tract was filled with spoil from a summer Bayou Lafourche dredging project. It’s part of the plan to send more water down the bayou for coastal…
Donald Segura of New Iberia says he’s retired but he may be busier than ever. For a man that likes to stay busy, that’s saying a lot. The 76-year-old French speaker has concurrently been a sugarcane, okra, pepper, wheat and soybean farmer while he was a dairyman milking 100 cows twice a day, driving a school bus and operating…
Ronnie Gonsoulin: Insuring Sugarcane’s Future South Louisiana land is good for many things, but it’s especially good for growing sugarcane…and it’s good for Iberia Parish farmer Ronnie Gonsoulin. Gonsoulin and his cane farming brethren can grow sugarcane in just about any soil type in the Bayou State. "I have all (soil) types.” Ronnie said. "I have the black stuff…
Many Louisiana sugarcane farmers say their farming operation is just a little ol’ family-owned farm, but the Mitchel J. Ourso family of Iberville Parish takes it to an extreme. There are no less than seven families involved in the operation of Ourso Farms. There's Mitchel and his wife, Amy. Their 29-year-old son, Robert, part of the next Ourso farming…
