Sugar workers who are members of the International Association of Machinists were recently on Capitol Hill talking about how a strong U.S. sugar policy supports union jobs across the country. We’re proud that much of the sugar made in America is done so by a union workforce.

“U.S. sugar policy provides so much opportunity for people in the rural communities,” said Cornelius Fowler, a truck driver for Florida Crystals with 16 years’ experience on the job. “They have great benefits, great programs that allow individuals that want to further their career.”

A long-time veteran of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Casey Bean will join the American Sugar Alliance (ASA) as the organization’s trade consultant on May 1. Bean will work with ASA to analyze the complex global trade issues that impact U.S. sugar farmers and shape America’s no-cost sugar policy.

With more than thirty years of experience working with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Bean’s work at FAS spans multiple regions across the globe including the countries of Bolivia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Japan, Pakistan, Peru, and Venezuela.

Recently the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri released their outlook for U.S. agriculture. They project that American sugar production remains strong and is expected to grow, despite challenges we have seen over the past couple years including factory closures in Sidney, MT, and Santa Rosa, TX.

“Despite new and existing challenges, the forecast is bright for American sugar production as long as the farmers’ safety net is strengthened,” said Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis at the American Sugar Alliance.

Trycera herbicide from Helena Agri-Enterprises has received federal registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use in sugarcane. Trycera is the first triclopyr product to be approved for use in the crop. It offers sugarcane growers a new tool to control Divine nightshade and other problematic weed species, pending approval by state regulatory agencies.

Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers Inc. recently announced it is closing after 51 years in business, citing dwindling water for irrigation and an ongoing dispute with Mexico over water supplies.

The closure will result in layoffs of 435 employees, including 101 company truck drivers, for the sugar-growing operation and mill based in Santa Rosa, Texas. The mill’s closure will be finalized by April 29.

The River Road African American Museum in Donaldsonville holds important pieces of Louisiana history. The organization maintains a former Rosenwald school and one of the first sugarcane planting machines created by two Black men.

In the early 1900s, education wasn’t easily accessible for everyone. By the middle of the century, two prominent Black men had created dozens of schools in the South, one of which is now in Donaldsonville.