Sugarcane: A Top Crop With Top People
By Jim Simon, Manager, American Sugarcane League
The American Sugar Cane League’s variety release committee unanimously agreed April 10 to release two new sugarcane varieties for commercial planting.
The two varieties, Ho 12-615 and L 12-201, are the latest in in a long line of advances for the “three way agreement” between Louisiana's sugarcane industry, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center.
The variety release committee includes League agronomists, farmers, millers, and USDA and LSU AgCenter scientists. The first seedlings of the two varieties were planted 12 years ago, but the cooperative agreement between the League, USDA and LSU AgCenter goes back nearly 100 years.
How did the committee make its final decision? They studied the work reports from all the experts who conducted the research. There are a lot of research scientists who study the sugarcane plant and make evaluations of potential new varieties. Some of the researchers are plant breeding experts while others specialize in soil and weed science. Others study pest management and sugar recovery.
While their jobs are important, they couldn’t do their work without the assistance of top-notch crews. These research assistants love agriculture and are dedicated to the sustainability of Louisiana’s 224-year-old cane heritage. They do whatever is necessary (even manage to work through government shutdowns!) to plant seedlings, peer through microscopes, fly drones, apply fungicides, measure growth rates, count leaf sprouts, grind cane, measure cane juice sugar levels and monitor pesticide applications… and they do this rain or shine in cold and hot weather.
They may be called research assistants, research technicians or specialists but they’re logging in the untold hours doing the work.
Our sugarcane farmers and millers are grateful for the outstanding people who make our industry a success. We couldn’t do it without them.
Special thanks go out to staff at LSU and include Ken Gravois, Collins Kimbeng, Michael Pontif, Gert Hawkins, David Sexton, Mavis Daigle, Al Coco, Bubba Baucum, Lawrence Frazier, Duress Wilson and Chuckie Coklin, Al Orgeron, Blake Wilson, Todd Robert, Craig Devillier, Alice Moman, Connie Graham, Jeff Hoy, Niranjan Baisakh, Brenda Tubana, Greg Williams and Howard “Sonny” Viator.
From the USDA, we thank Mike Grisham, Kathryn Warnke, Jeri Maggio, Anna Hale, Cory Landry, Thomas Duet, Jennifer Chiasson, Himaya Mula-Michel, Yong-Bao Pan, Lionel Lomax, James Todd, Brian Duet, Michael Duet, David Verdun, Edwis Dufrene, Frances Adams, Lawrence “Junior” Lovell, Clinton Randall, Darren Allen, Richard Johnson, Katie Richard, Brenda King, Chandler Richard, Randy Richard, Deise Da Silva, Leticia Marcorio, Douglas Spaunhorst, Eric Petrie, Paul White, Christopher Adams, Harold Callahan, Wilson Andras, Charles Williams and Hubert Zeller.
These are the people who are carrying on the sugarcane research work that was begun nearly 100 years ago when the American Sugar Cane League was formed in 1922. Good job!