In October 2021, Jason Richard was doing exactly what he is doing this October. He was waking up at the same time before 5 a.m., climbing in the same John Deere, harvesting sugarcane in the same fields and hauling his crop to same place — the nearby Raceland Raw Sugar Corporation. But things looked a little different in Lafourche Parish 12 months ago.
Read MoreSugarcane farmers have begun their harvest, and that means south Louisiana sugar mills have opened their gates to accept the first loads of this year’s crop.
It also means highways are becoming busy with tractors and trucks hauling cane to be processed.
Read MoreLouisiana’s sugarcane industry has for centuries been a vital contributor to the state’s economy having provided many jobs and millions of dollars of revenue each year.
The economic impact to Louisiana is $4.2B with more than 19K people employed.
Read MoreIt's that time of year again in Louisiana: the sugar cane harvest. And officials are warning drivers about cane trucks on the highways that will be delivering up to 100,000-pound loads daily and nightly through the new year.
Read MoreSlattery McCollam farms 2,800 acres of sugarcane near Schriever and Thibodaux in southern Louisiana, in Terrebonne Parish and Lafourche Parish. It’s a large farm—a land area equivalent to half of all football stadiums in the world.
McCollam is in his second year of a research project with the LSU AgCenter.
Read MoreIt is an understatement to say soybean farmers have had a challenging year in 2022. In April, farmers had to plant around several rain events. Despite the several April showers, 59% of the soybean fields in LA were planted by May 1 compared to the five-year average of 43% and 23% from last year.
Read MoreThe American Sugarcane League and its partner, the Sugar Association (SAI) celebrate October 14, 2022 as the first annual National Real Sugar Day.
Read MoreThe American Sugar Cane League gave a $2,500 grant to the River Road African American Museum in Donaldsonville to help defray the cost of a protective shed over the vintage 1965 “Julien” sugarcane planter exhibit at the museum.
Read MoreThe New Iberia Sugar Cane Festival will take way starting September 23.
The festival takes place September 23-24. There will be events such as the “Blessing of the crop,” a 5K, and the Fais Do Do music festival.
Read MoreKey U.S. senators urged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to “reject proposals that would weaken U.S. sugar policy and jeopardize our nation’s food security,” in a letter sent Friday. The bipartisan letter was led by Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and signed by a total of 12 senators, including Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
Read MoreLouisiana corn for grain production is forecast at 71.8 million bushels, down 15 percent from the August 1 forecast and down 31 percent from 2021. Based on conditions as of September 1, yield is expected to average 165 bushels per acre, down 10 bushels from last month and down 18 bushels from last year.
Read MoreMost Americans don’t think about the farmers who grow our food or the government farm policies that support them – that is until they can’t find an item at the grocery store. Sugar is one of the crops that is grown in the United States, and thanks to these federal policies, is always in stock.
Read MoreThe family-owned distillery is now known as Oxbow Rum Distillery and will begin making rum from local sugarcane. The new distillery’s name comes from the ancient Mississippi River oxbow in Pointe Coupee Parish, according to an official press release.
Read MoreI heard food futurist Jack Bobo speak at the 37th annual International Sugar Symposium in Vail, Colorado in early August.
The definition of a food futurist is not someone who predicts the future of our food systems but one who can understand what the “preferred” future could looks like and helps existing systems adapt and adjust to that preferred future.
Read MoreLouisiana’s sugarcane crop had to endure nearly 100 inches of rain and the winds of Hurricane Ida last year. This year has been much drier, which allowed farmers to work their fields properly, and the crop has responded. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux has this report.
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