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2016 sugarcane crop shows promise of good yield

Daily Comet

This year’s sugar-cane crop looks better than average despite an unusually wet fall and spring.

The wet weather has affected many other crops, but the sugar-cane crop should be strong after a mild winter and warm spring, local farmers said.

Last year’s crop proved to be average after unsteady weather conditions. Sugar cane is a tropical crop, so ideal growing conditions are hot and wet weather, but not standing water.

Thibodaux farmer Bobby Gravois said the new crop looks promising due to a warm winter.

"It’s still kind of early to tell what kind of crop we’re going to have, but we didn’t have a severe winter, so the cane is doing better,” Gravois said. "Cane can’t take cold weather at all. Where we’re growing cane we’re taking it to the limit.”

Louisiana, Florida and Texas are the only states to grow sugar cane in the United States.

Two good weeks of dry weather and no clouds would "make all the difference in the world” to the crop right now, said Herman Waguespack, senior agronomist at the Thibodaux-based American Sugar Cane League. CONTINUE TO DAILY COMET

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