Louisiana Sugar Refining creates LSU College of Agriculture scholarship

Louisiana Sugar Refining LLC is establishing a scholarship in the LSU College of Agriculture.

General manager and CEO Larry Faucheux said his company sees the scholarship as a way to help the next generation of their potential employees.

"This will allow young people to go to LSU and study agriculture, and it can benefit our industry down the line,” Faucheux said.

The scholarship is aimed at students studying plant and soil systems or agricultural business.

LSR, located in Gramercy, is a joint venture between Cargill and the Louisiana Sugar Growers and Refiners. Faucheux, a third-generation employee at the site, said it serves many farmers whose families have been growing sugarcane for several generations.

Faucheux described LSR as a blend of old and new — a state-of-the-art facility on property that has been refining sugarcane for more than 100 years.

The scholarship is part of LSR’s commitment to the Louisiana sugarcane industry, an important sector of the state’s economy.

In 2017, sugarcane production in Louisiana was worth $1 billion, according the LSU AgCenter Ag Summary.

Faucheux said he hopes the scholarship will serve as an incentive for students to seek careers in agriculture.

"At LSR we see a need to help young people interested in agriculture,” he said.

Reported by Tobie Blanchard, LSU AgCenter

(12/21/18) BATON ROUGE, La.