Florida, Louisiana Sugarcane Could Be Hurt by Winter Storm but Citrus Was Spared

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Sugarcane crops in Louisiana and Florida, the only two states producing sugar from cane in the United States, could be hurt by the cold snap in the area, while citrus farms seemed to have mostly been spared, experts said on Wednesday.

“Single-digit temperatures will destroy all of the vegetative growth and set the crop back in a serious manner resulting in notable declines in production potential,” said Drew Lerner, a meteorologist at World Weather Inc.

Florida and Louisiana account for 43% of U.S. sugar output, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They are expected to produce 4.06 million short tons out of total U.S. production of 9.4 million short tons in the current season. The rest comes from beets.

Sugarcane is mostly grown in warmer regions. Negative temperatures can “burn” the leaves of young plants, killing them or delaying their development. This year’s harvest was concluded earlier this month, so the sugarcane was starting to sprout again.

The snow that fell over most of Louisiana, however, can help. It can protect the young cane plants from the cold winds.

“My past experiences indicate that the snow we received will insulate the roots in the ground. We will be monitoring in the coming weeks,” said Kenneth Gravois, a researcher and professor at Louisiana State University.

Gravois said this season’s sugar is safely stored, so any impact to the plants will be felt only in the next season.

The U.S. imports around 30% of the sugar it uses, mostly from Mexico. Any production shortage would lead to higher imports.

Citrus plants appeared to have escaped the cold.

“Most of the (citrus) industry is still based in the South, and our area has not had a freeze yet this year,” said Christopher Vincent, associate professor at the University of Florida.