‘Right Kind Of Weather’ Helping Improve Outlook Of La. Sugarcane Crop After Hurricane Isaac

Louisiana's sugarcane crop is bouncing back better than expected from Hurricane Isaac.

In September, the LSU Ag Center estimated $60,000,000 in losses for the state's sugarcane crop. But now LSU Agcenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois says he would put those losses at less than $60,000,000:

We knew we had a good crop going into this year and I think on the back side of Isaac and with the early August reports I think everybody is very encouraged with the yields that are coming out of the fields.

Gravois says the weather is cooperating with the harvest, which is helping the crop and farmers produce more sugarcane than expected:

We're having the right kind of weather that we need after a storm. We've had clear skies and less rain. So the start to this August was very good.

Isaac flattened thousands of acres of the sugarcane crop, but after a couple of weeks, the crop started growing back toward the sun. Gravois says if the excellent weather conditions continue, then Louisiana will produce more sugarcane than last year:

From past research we know that the biggest thing to put sugar in these stalks is sunshine. So we need clear days with the sun shining.