An LSU AgCenter field day held at a commercial sugarcane farm in Erath focused on climate-smart agriculture solutions that any farmer can implement.
Attendees were transported from the venue location to the field in air-conditioned, yellow school buses — a welcome getaway from the summer heat.
Read MoreYellow leaf disease was first reported in the Louisiana sugar industry in the late 1990s. It is caused by the sugarcane yellow leaf virus, which is transmitted by the sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari). Since then, the incidence of yellow leaf disease has remained low, primarily because of Louisiana’s healthy seedcane program.
Read MoreLSU AgCenter scientists showcased conservation practices in sugarcane farming at a field day July 22.
The event was held at Keith Dugas’ farm in Assumption Parish, which is a model farm in an AgCenter best management practices program funded by a Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Project.
Read MoreCoca-Cola's decision to launch a new Coke product this fall made with U.S.-grown cane sugar is already sweetening the stakes for Louisiana.
Read MoreLouisiana’s sugarcane growers made their mark in more ways than one at this year’s Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation Convention in New Orleans. From important conversations on federal food policy to field-level conservation breakthroughs and a strong showing at the annual awards banquet, it was a week that reminded everyone just how vital sugarcane is to the state’s agricultural community.
Read MoreBright and early, farmers from across Acadiana convened for the annual Sugarcane Field Day, hosted by the LSU AgCenter. They focused on innovative farming practices aimed at environmental sustainability.
Read MoreA major move from one of the world’s most iconic brands could mean big business for Louisiana’s sugarcane industry.
Coca-Cola recently announced a return to cane sugar in some of its product lines—a shift away from high-fructose corn syrup that has farmers across Louisiana buzzing with optimism.
Read MoreA pilot is dead after a helicopter crash near Thibodaux Wednesday morning.
According to Lafourche Parish officials, the crash happened about a mile from LA-308 near Laurel Valley Road.
Read MoreCoca-Cola announced today it will release a new version of its classic soda sweetened with U.S. sugar, which could benefit Louisiana’s sugarcane industry. Louisiana ranks second in the country in sugar cane produced, nearly 14 million tons of sugarcane each year. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain is excited about the news.”
Read MoreThis year’s annual field day at the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station featured a stop that highlighted several conservation practices.
Kenneth Gravois, AgCenter sugarcane specialist, joined Brenda Tubaña, AgCenter soil scientist, and Bruno Nicchio, AgCenter postdoctoral researcher, to explain how sugarcane farmers can benefit from implementing these practices. The July 16 event drew a record-breaking audience of more than 300 people.
Read MoreFarmer Clint Judice represents the seventh generation of his family to farm sugarcane in the heart of southern Louisiana. Challenging soils and proximity to the coast, along with this year’s blizzard bringing 10 inches of snow, make producing nature’s sweetest crop a challenge.
St. Mary Parish, where Judice farms around 4,000 acres of sugarcane, is one of Louisiana’s top sugar-producing parishes. In January, it also was home to the county’s southernmost blizzard warning.
Read MoreThe original Section 18 crisis exemption for Sivanto Prime in sugarcane for aphids/West Indian Cane Fly was set to expire July 18th. However shortly after, LDAF office of Pesticide Programs filed for a specific exemption to extend the use beyond July 18th.
Read MoreAn announcement from President Donald Trump has sparked excitement among sugarcane farmers and processors in South Louisiana. Coca-Cola is reportedly considering a switch from high fructose corn syrup to real cane sugar in its US-manufactured beverages.
President Trump stated that the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, which has a facility in Lafayette, has agreed to this change. The potential shift is creating a buzz in the local sugar industry, as it could boost demand for cane sugar.
Read MoreSugar cane farmers and agriculture experts from Louisiana say President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that Coca-Cola had agreed to switch from using artificial sweeteners to real cane sugar could be good news for the industry.
Patrick Frischertz is a farmer at St. Louis Planting, a sugar cane and soybean farm in Plaquemine. He is getting everything ready at the farm, which has been operated by the same family for eight generations, for the start of sugar cane planting season.
Read MoreU.S. corn producers are sounding the alarm on President Donald Trump’s efforts to switch Coca-Cola products away from using corn syrup in favor of cane sugar, claiming the change will wreak havoc on the agricultural industry.
Changes in demand for corn syrup, such as that used in Coke, would increase demand for cane sugar in Louisiana and Florida, as well as from Central and South America, where the sweetener is heavily tariffed.
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