Louisiana Sugarcane Burning

By: Ben Legendre

Farmers burn sugarcane to reduce the amount of leafy extraneous material, including stalk tops, delivered with the cane to the factories for processing. 
 
The benefits of burning sugarcane are:

• An overall lower cost of production that benefits farmers and consumers
• Allows more efficient harvesting of sugarcane in the field
• Reduces the number of hauling units on the highways delivering sugarcane to the factory for processing, thus reducing wear and tear on public roads
• Decreases the volume of material to be processed by the factories
• Shortens the harvest season by as much as 10 percent
• Increases the yield of sugar recovered per ton of sugarcane by the factories and improves overall quality of the sugar produced
• Reduces wear and tear on field and factory equipment
• Reduces energy expenditures in the field and by the factory

 

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