Last year the state set a record, producing more than two million tons of raw sugar last year but growers will not beat that number this year. Sugarcane Specialist Kenneth Gravois says the heat from June through August will result in a smaller harvest
“So with all this dry weather we’ve missed a lot of prime growing further north in the Pointe Coupee, Rapides, and Avoyelles they’ve gotten a whole lot less rain. They are even more dry than we are here in the eastern part of the belt.”
Most cane farmers put their plant cane in the ground during late July and early August. Harvest generally begins in September. Gravois says farmers on the western side of the cane belt are severely impacted.
“When you get along Bayou Teche, Vermillion Parish, Acadia Parish, Jeff Davis, those production areas have much-reduced growth. Some of those acres in that part of the world look like you can still cultivate them.”
While many farmers will have to wait for more rain for soil moisture to go up, Gravois says some cane farmers are seeing pretty good yields.
“We’ve got a good population out there. We got good barrel size on the cane. For the folks that have been planting cane, they’ve been pretty pleased with their planting ratio which is one indicator of a decent crop. We just need some rain.”
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