When Hurricane Francine swept across southern Louisiana Wednesday evening, sugar cane crops along LA 1 were damaged and farmers say they’re taking time to assess the severity.
Read More
If you thought the global sugar market was cleaning up its act after being named one of the world’s most distorted commodity markets – think again.
Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture puts together thousands of reports, published as part of the Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN), including annual reports that detail many ways foreign governments are intervening in their domestic sugar markets.
Read More
It will be weeks before the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry can make a full assessment of the damage Hurricane Francine inflicted upon Louisiana agriculture. However, American Sugar Cane League General Manager Jim Simon said he is confident the state’s sugarcane farmers will not see major losses due to the storm.
Read More
Things are looking pretty good overall, we’re done with corn harvest, most of my guys are harvesting rice right now, some of the guys are getting close to the end of rice harvest. Overall, I’d say, we’re in the middle to the other side of rice harvest. Soybean harvest is in full swing, making a lot of progress there. Just starting to defoliate, I guess about ten days into defoliating some cotton.
Read More
It’s dry…we went from the end of July when we were trying to look for a break in the rains to now where we’re looking for a rain. We’re trying to finish out the last of these crops, and it’s not going easy.
It depends on where you’re at, on how the crops are looking…the late planted beans are looking really good, but this dry weather, as they move into pod filling stages, is really taking a toll on them. A really good rain would really set this crop up for a good finish.
Read More
The urgent need to pass a five-year Farm Bill took center stage at the 39th International Sweetener Symposium in Seattle earlier this month, where farm leaders from the sugar industry gathered with lawmakers and policymakers to review the legislative and economic landscape.
With the Farm Bill extension scheduled to expire in the coming weeks, this year’s discussions were timely, and the key takeaway was clear: there is unity and momentum from both farm country and Capitol Hill for a Farm Bill that includes a strong U.S. sugar policy to support sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and more than 151,000 American jobs.
Read More
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai today announced the appointment or reappointment of 55 members to serve on seven agricultural trade advisory committees.
The advisory committee system was created by Congress to ensure that U.S. agricultural stakeholders have input and insight into U.S. trade policy and negotiating objectives.
Read More
Louisiana agriculture generates approximately $3 billion in sales each year, but in most years agricultural productivity is negatively affected by hurricane damage. Louisianans are familiar with the devastation and loss of life and property that can accompany a hurricane event as the state experiences, on average, one hurricane every three years. The total economic losses from a single hurricane can reach tens of billions of dollars, while agricultural losses can exceed one billion dollars. Louisiana is a major agricultural producer for the United States, but the structures, livestock, and crops are highly exposed to extreme wind and flooding during hurricane events.
Read More
Chemical ripeners for sugarcane in Louisiana provide an important benefit. When properly applied, ripeners can maximize recoverable sugar and minimize cane yield (tonnage) losses.
In 2024, the following glyphosate formulation is recommended as a chemical ripener: Roundup PowerMAX 3. Roundup PowerMax 3 contains 4.8 pounds of glyphosate acid per gallon and is formulated as a potassium salt.
Read More
In the 11 coastal parishes we consult in, lack of rainfall has not been a problem. Many areas have already exceeded the mean annual rainfall accumulation, and it’s not even August. We have already in some areas received in excess of 65 inches, so we are certainly experiencing the opposite of what we dealt with last year.
Read More
There is more optimism in the Louisiana sugarcane industry this year compared to last year as near-normal rain patterns have the crop in good shape. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux has this report from the cane fields of south Louisiana.
Read More
"This is a byproduct of cane—this is our trash—and you're converting that trash into energy, creating jobs, it's a win-win for everybody."
Out with the old and in with the new, renewable energy production on a full-scale is coming soon in Iberia Parish.
Read More
This year’s annual field day at the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station drew a large crowd of participants eager to hear updates on topics ranging from sugarcane varieties to crop management strategies.
One stop on the farm tour, led by AgCenter soil scientist Brenda Tubaña and postdoctoral researcher Bruno Nicchio, highlighted biostimulant research and practices that improve soil fertility.
Read More
The largest crowd to ever attend an LSU AgCenter sugarcane field day learned the latest news and research in varieties, soil fertility, biostimulants, weed management and plant pathology.
AgCenter Sugar Research Station coordinator Al Orgeron approximated that there were 280 attendees based on the number of lunches served.
Read More
LSU introduced Oxbow Distillery as its official rum and now CEO Olivia Stewart is trying to change the way locals view local spirits, and make it more known in the state of Louisiana.
"Rum was the primary spirit that was drunk in America at the time of the revolution. George Washington, for instance, requested 400 barrels of rum to be there to celebrate his inauguration," Stewart said.
Read More