LSU AgCenter Scientists Studying Irrigation Of Sugarcane
In a sugarcane field just outside of Cheneyville in Rapides Parish, Stacia Davis Conger and Justin Dufour are drilling, assembling and placing moisture sensors in the ground under stifling conditions.
Conger, AgCenter irrigation specialist, and Dufour, area ag agent for Avoyelles, Rapides and Grant parishes, have started a project looking at irrigation efficiency of sugarcane, a crop grown in areas that typically receive plenty of rainfall. While 70% of Louisiana’s corn crop is irrigated, less than 5% of the state’s 500,000 acres of sugarcane are.
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Waguespack, Gravois, Falgoust Honored By St. James Sugarcane Industry
The St. James Agricultural Tour committee named Herman Waguespack Jr of Thibodaux as the 59th recipient of the Kermit Coulon Sr. Outstanding Service Award.
Waguespack is the research director of the American Sugar Cane League and has served the Louisiana sugarcane industry for more than 36 years.
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Sugarcane Ripener Recommendations for 2021
Chemical ripeners for sugarcane in Louisiana provide an important benefit. When properly applied, ripeners can maximize recoverable sugar and minimize cane yield (tonnage) losses.
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Wet Weather, New Varieties Highlight Discussions At Acadiana Sugarcane Field Days
The story of the past two years in Louisiana sugarcane production has been a tale of two very different seasons for farmers.
After tallying a bumper harvest from late September through mid-January, many producers may have expected something similar for 2021, but Mother Nature has dampened the outlook for the current growing season.
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US Sugar Program Reform Proposed In US Senate
Lawmakers in the Senate have Introduced legislation to reform the Federal Sugar Support Program.
But Jim Simon, General Manager of the American Sugarcane league in Thibodaux, says the bill is anything but fair.
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Sugar Producers Support New Legislation to Zero Out Harmful Foreign Sugar Subsidies
The American Sugar Alliance (ASA) supports new legislation introduced today by Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Congressman Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) which seeks to zero out the foreign subsidies that make sugar the world’s most distorted commodity market. This legislation levels the playing field and preserves family farms and good-paying jobs, while maintaining a strong and stable domestic supply chain for sugar.
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In-Person Sugarcane Field Day Returns With New Varieties
Two newly released sugarcane varieties took center stage at the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station’s first live field day since 2019 after the coronavirus pandemic forced a virtual version last year.
Attendees of the July 21 event included some from as far away as Seattle and the nation of Colombia as well as new LSU President William F. Tate IV. They braved hot weather and muddy conditions to hear about fertilization techniques, pest control, cover crops and the two new varieties.
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Graves is Leading the Way to Modernize Sugarcane Research Unit in Schriever
U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) is leading the way to modernize the Sugarcane Research Unit in Schriever. The funding was secured in the House Agriculture spending bill, which was approved by the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee recently – a strong indication of widespread support for the project as the bill moves through the legislative process. Graves’ provision would modernize sugarcane research, create efficiencies, and yield even greater results for the crop and our state’s agriculture future.
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Assumption Parish Holds 51st Cane Field Day
The LSU AgCenter hosted the Assumption Parish Sugarcane Field Day in Napoleonville Wednesday. It was the 51st time local farmers, researchers and others connected to the Louisiana sugarcane industry have gathered to learn about the latest in sugarcane research in this Bayou Lafourche town. LSU AgCenter agriculture agent Renee Castro put together the program that included two field stops and an indoor program.
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Louisiana Sugarcane Variety Performance
Because sugarcane varieties are the lifeblood of the Louisiana sugar industry, variety selection is one of your most important decisions on the farm. That decision has long-term consequences. The goal is to maximize profitability on every acre of the farm for each year of a long crop cycle.
Sugarcane variety choices for planting in 2021 include four that should occupy most planted acreages (HoCP 96-540, L 01-299, HoCP 09-804 and Ho 12-615) and four that should occupy minor acreage (L 01-283, HoCP 04-838, L 11-183 and L 12-201). Ho 13-739, a new variety release from 2020, should be expanded to determine where it might fit in your farming operation. L 14-267 and HoCP 14-885 were released in 2021. See the June 2021 issue of the Sugar Bulletin for information.
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LSU AgCenter Sugarcane Variety Performance Report
Because sugarcane varieties are the lifeblood of the Louisiana sugar industry, variety selection is one of your most important decisions on the farm. That decision has long-term consequences. The goal is to maximize profitability on every acre of the farm for each year of a long crop cycle.
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Louisiana's Sugarcane Could Be the Next Clean Super Fuel
On a recent family vacation, I saw that a pretty good chunk of America is biting off a pretty big chunk of renewable energy. From wind and solar power, to alternative fuels like biodiesel - diversifying our sources of energy seems to be the wave of the future. Luckily, Louisiana seems to be on board with the next stage of evolution in the energy world. We've already started to get electricity from Oklahoma wind farms in Caddo Parish via SWEPCO - but the next step includes cooking up a little home-grown alternative fuel ourselves, Louisiana style.
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Pointe Coupee Parish Hosts Its First Sugarcane Field Day
In yet another sign that our society is inching back to a pre-pandemic “normal,” the LSU AgCenter hosted a sugarcane field day in Pointe Coupee Parish the first week of June.
It was the first in-person field day for sugarcane since the pandemic began. More than 60 producers, consultants and other interested parties were hosted by producer Joby Beaud at his shop on Labarre Road near Morganza. Beaud farms 3,000 acres
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50th Annual Joint Meeting of American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists 2021
The American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (ASSCT), will hold its 50th annual joint meeting June 15-16 online. Researchers and industry experts will give presentations beginning at 8:30 a.m. June 15 covering topics ranging from sucrose content to management of pests and successes in the industry.
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Legislation to Slow Down Solar Development Advances in Louisiana Legislature
Two pieces of legislation that could slow solar development in Louisiana moved forward at the State Capitol Wednesday. A House resolution and Senate bill both advanced out of committees without opposition.
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