The volatility of the cocoa market has led to some truly spooky headlines over the past year, including cautionary tales of candy shortages. It’s inevitable that these headlines will rise from the dead again this Halloween and opponents of U.S. sugar policy may choose to take this opportunity to take a stab at sugar producers.
But if your Halloween basket is light on chocolate this year, it’s cocoa that’s the culprit – not sugar.
Read MoreHurricane Francine’s winds knocked over some sugarcane stalks but did not ruin the harvest for most Acadiana sugarcane farmers.
Eddie Lewis III, a 6th generation sugarcane farmer from Youngsville, said their fields faired Francine.
Read MoreYou are invited to participate in the upcoming Workshop for the Pest Management Strategic Plan for Sugarcane in the American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (ASSCT) – Louisiana Division Meeting to be held February 4th-5th in Baton Rouge, La.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announced sugar loan rates for crop year 2024 (fiscal year 2025).
USDA offers commodity loans to processors of sugar beets and domestically grown sugarcane to provide interim financing to producers so that sugar can be stored after harvest when market prices are typically low and then sold later when price conditions are more favorable.
Read MoreThe sugarcane harvest begins today in Assumption Parish and surrounding areas, and officials are advising motorists to stay alert during the first few days of the harvest.
Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon said that there will be an increase in machinery and cane haulers using the highways to transport their products to market over the next few days. Falcon said that drivers can also expect foggy conditions for the first few days of the harvest, asking all to practice extra caution.
Read MoreMany were left without power and others were devastated by flood waters and damaging winds after Hurricane Francine made landfall earlier this month. This storm was a major setback for cattle ranchers and sugarcane farmers and left them with weeks of additional work.
Cattle ranchers Colleen Landry and her fiancé Cody Batiste operate H&M Ranch in Terrebonne Parish. Despite their pasture being flooded by Hurricane Francine, the couple had no choice but to head out to check on their cattle.
Read MoreLouisiana farmers are no strangers to the aftermath of a hurricane, but damage to sugarcane from Francine will make this year’s harvest season more challenging.
Sugarcane is Louisiana’s biggest row crop, with a $4 billion economic impact on the state. Winds from Francine tore through several parishes, including Assumption, where Rodney Simoneaux grows and produces 1,600 acres of sugarcane on his family farm.
Read MoreTaking the place of a 40-year veteran of the Louisiana sugarcane industry is no small task, so when LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Andre Gama replaced longtime researcher Jeff Hoy, he knew he had big shoes to fill. Due to his extensive travels, Gama’s own shoes were well worn, so he was up for the challenge.
Read MoreSugarcane growers in south Louisiana were making preparations for the upcoming harvest season when Hurricane Francine came ashore last week, bringing winds that knocked their crop over and heavy rains that flooded fields that were already saturated from recent rainfall.
Now, farmers in several parishes of Louisiana’s cane belt are waiting for things to dry out and for the crop to stand itself back up. With a few days of sunny weather in the forecast, they’re optimistic they will soon be back on track.
Read MoreSugarcane farmers across Louisiana are grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Francine, which left fields battered and cane stalks bent in its wake.
In Brusly, Drew Masciz expressed optimism despite the visible signs of damage to their fields.
Read MoreWhen 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 MoreIf 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 MoreIt 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 MoreThings 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 MoreIt’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.
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