Sugarcane has been an integral part of the Louisiana economy and culture for more than 210 years. When the Jesuit priests first brought sugarcane to Louisiana in 1751, little did they know that they were laying the foundation for an industry that now contributes $2 billion to the Louisiana economy. The industry could not be sustained, however, without LSU AgCenter research.

(Distributed 01/05/07) Even with freezes and rain in early and mid-December, Louisiana’s sugarcane harvest was shaping up to be one of the best in years. Then more rain came, and what could have been an excellent year quickly turned into just an average one.

As a result of the excellent stubbling ability of LCP 85-384, producers are now considering such production decisions as how long stubble crops should be kept in production before plowing out, or whether they should be kept in production if a net profit could be made from harvest. This report outlines a procedure that can be used to determine the optimal number of sugarcane stubble crops to keep in production with the goal of maximizing producer net returns.

After Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana on August 29, 2005, the AgCenter quickly began to assess the damage caused to the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries. Since those initial estimates, the AgCenter has refined its projections and now pegs the total economic impact due losses in revenue and additional production costs at slightly over $1.0 billion.

Based on the information known at the time of the storm, and given the historical value of these industries to the state, the AgCenter was able to provide preliminary estimates on losses of revenue due to production losses.

The dollar amounts, which are estimates of reduced revenue and increased costs, are broken down by storm and commodity. Total estimated costs are also provided.

Louisiana farmers and forest producers could find a silver lining in the cloud of rising fuel prices – with the development of new fuels from crops they already grow or could grow.

This report presents estimates of costs and returns associated with sugarcane production practices in Louisiana for 2002. It is part of a continuing effort to provide farmers, researchers, extension personnel, lending agencies timely planning information.

In 1993 with the release of the new, high yielding sugarcane variety LCP 85-384, the Louisiana sugarcane industry switched from the 'soldier' or whole-stalk harvester to the combine harvesting system. This publication compares the cost of operating the two harvesting systems in Louisiana.

This article provides producers with an overview of the potential marketing and production environment for sugarcane following the 2005 crop year.