Across the nation, Thanksgiving brings us together around the table and in our communities. America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane growers share in that spirit of connection, adding sweetness to our celebrations and strength to our communities. Their work reminds us that giving back takes many forms, and all of them make life a little sweeter.

Michigan Sugar Company

Michigan Sugar Company members volunteer at their annual United Way Sugar Distribution Day.

Michigan Sugar Company celebrated National Real Sugar Day in a big way! Team members came together to volunteer at the company’s annual United Way Sugar Distribution Day, donating over 57,000 pounds of REAL Pioneer Sugar to more than 100 nonprofits, many of them food pantries, across multiple counties.

We’re proud of Michigan Sugar Company for stepping up in such an impactful way for families and neighbors in need.

Domino Sugar

Domino Sugar Refinery employees lowering 50 cages of baby oysters into the bay.

The Domino Sugar refinery is located right in the heart of Baltimore on the Patapsco River. Oysters act as a natural filtration system and keep the water clean for other living creatures. With oyster populations in severe decline, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation launched an Oyster Gardening Program, with Domino Sugar proudly taking part.

Every fall, Domino Sugar employees lower cages of baby oysters into the river to begin their growth. Throughout the season, volunteers regularly clean and care for the oysters before they are released into a sanctuary reef in the Chesapeake Bay. Every year, Domino Sugar helps raise more than 100,000 oysters, contributing to the health of the river and the restoration of this ecosystem, and this year’s process is off to a great start.

American Crystal Sugar Company

Ryan Wall, Vice President-Administration at American Crystal Sugar Company, accepting an award at the local Scouting America council’s Hometown Heroes Gala in honor of American Crystal’s contributions to the local community, and bags of Crystal Sugar ready to pack into meal boxes for those in need.

American Crystal Sugar Company has made a commitment to give 5 cents for every ton of sugarbeets harvested to local charities in the communities where its employees live and work. At part of that commitment, American Crystal shares the sweet gift of sugar, donating tens of thousands of pounds of its namesake Crystal Sugar across the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota.

That means more than 6,000 families in the Red River Valley will have sugar in their holiday meal boxes this holiday season.

In October, American Crystal Sugar Company was recognized for this work with the In-Kind Partner Award from the local Scouting America council.

U.S. Sugar

Students with their new backpacks provided by U.S. Sugar.

U.S. Sugar knows that strong classrooms mean strong communities. At the start of the school year, U.S. Sugar donated 120 backpacks filled with school supplies to help local students head off to school prepared for the year ahead!

Western Sugar Cooperative

More than 700 farmers across 4 states grow sugarbeets for Western Sugar Cooperative. This year, Western Sugar was a key sponsor for Bayard Public Schools in Nebraska, helping fund school activities and programs for a school system serving many of its grower-owners in the state. This sponsorship helped ensure students have access to enriching opportunities both inside and outside the classroom and furthered Western Sugar’s support for local education, youth development, and community engagement.

Louisiana Sugar Refining

Boxes filled with a turkey, a 4-pound bag of sugar, green beans, mac and cheese, and other Thanksgiving dinner essentials ready to be distributed.

The Louisiana Sugar Refining (LSR) refinery in Gramercy, Louisiana, is a cornerstone of its local community. LSR and its contractors worked together to provide local families with a Thanksgiving meal through their annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive. The boxes, which included a turkey, will ensure that several families who may normally have to do without will have a full table and a warm meal to celebrate the season.

Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative

A Minn-Dak sugar donation being delivered to a food pantry in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

Every year, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative donates sugar to several food pantries in the surrounding region, including food pantries in Wahpeton, North Dakota, and the towns of Fegus Falls, Hoffman, and Elbow Lake in Minnesota. To date in 2025, Minn-Dak has donated more than 5,500 pounds of sugar to food pantries, providing neighbors in need with an essential ingredient – grown and processed right there in the Red River Valley. The grower-owned cooperative also donates sugar packets to area churches, sweetening coffee and strengthening its bonds with the local community.

The sugar community’s reach is far and wide. This Thanksgiving season, we’re grateful for our sugarbeet and sugarcane growers, and our partners who work so hard and find time to give back to their communities.

This year, as you gather with family and loved ones, hopefully eating a sweet piece (or two!) of pie, remember to thank America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane growers for their hard work.

Here’s to gratitude, good company, and another very sweet Thanksgiving.

Welcome to harvest season! Sugarbeets and sugarcane are harvested in different ways, but both become the real sugar on your table. It’s all thanks to the family farmers and workers whose work sustains rural communities and keeps America sweet. Here is a glimpse into how they do it.

Sugarbeet Harvest

By late August, the seeds our farmers planted in the spring have grown into sturdy roots, ready to be pulled from the ground.

The first step is to defoliate the sugarbeet by removing their leafy tops. The leaves of the beet act as natural insulation, so the timing of this step can change depending on weather or harvest conditions. Next comes a harvester, which lifts the beets out of the ground and shakes off excess dirt.

Instead of using two tractors pulling a defoliator and a harvester, some farmers use a self-propelled harvester that combines both steps into one.

The sugarbeets are loaded into the bed of a semitruck or a beet cart right there in the field to be taken to a receiving station or factory, where the beets are stacked into towering outdoor piles and Mother Nature acts as natural refrigeration. The beets will stay in storage until they move through the factory, so these piles must be carefully managed to minimize spoiling.

Finally, the sugarbeets make their way to the factory, where they’re sliced and the sugar is extracted and crystalized.

Quick Facts About Sugarbeet Harvest

• Farmers need to harvest their beets before it gets too cold, or the sugarbeets will freeze in the ground.
• In the Red River Valley spanning Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, harvest runs for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if conditions are right. Can you imagine having to fix a broken sugarbeet harvester at 3 AM? This is reality for many farmers!
• Factories will also run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until the spring to process the sugarbeets into refined sugar. This is called a campaign.
• No part of the sugarbeet goes to waste! Beet pulp pellets and shreds are used in a variety of ways; it is a premium food source for animals like show horses, or in the pet food you might find at your local pet store. Beet juice is also used in deicing mixtures to help clear roads and runways.

Sugarcane Harvest

Sugarcane is unique in that it is planted in the fall, and it will grow for a full year before it’s ready to harvest. That means planting and harvesting overlap. Harvesting begins in mid-September and goes through mid-January in Louisiana and into May in Florida. Some sugarcane operations also harvest 24/7 – our farmers work hard until the job is done!

Rotating scrolls, or the crop dividers, on the sugarcane harvesters feed the cane into the harvester, where the cane stalks are chopped into smaller pieces and the excess leafy material is blown back onto the field. The cut cane is put into a cart which drives alongside the harvester, and which will eventually dump the cane into a semitruck or train car to take to the mill. New shoots will sprout from the sugarcane stubble left in the ground for the next few harvests, which is why all of the sugarcane on a farm doesn’t need to be planted annually.

From there, the sugarcane is transported to a nearby raw sugar mill to extract the sugar from the cane. Finally, the raw sugar is transported to a refinery to finish processing and packaging.

Quick Facts About Sugarcane Harvest

• Unlike sugarbeets, which can be stored for months, sugarcane must be processed into raw sugar as quickly as possible after harvest to preserve sugar content and prevent spoilage.
• Bagasse, the fibrous material that’s left over after the sugar juice is squeezed out of sugarcane stalks, fuels the boilers in the mills, producing steam and bioelectricity to power operations.
• Florida sugarcane producer U.S. Sugar owns one of largest privately-owned WiFi networks in the world. It covers 270 square miles and allows its tractors to navigate with sub-inch precision.
• Louisiana is the northern-most location in the world where sugarcane is grown.

As you can see, sugarbeet and sugarcane harvest require immense amounts of specialized equipment and skilled labor. Harvest always comes with challenges – like unpredictable weather or equipment failures. But this year, some farmers are facing yet another challenge: they may not even break even on their crop.

In just the past two years, prices for beet sugar and cane sugar have fallen by 42% and 22%, respectively. This dramatic fall in prices coupled with persistently high input costs – up more than 30% since the 2018 – are unsustainable.

We are thankful for the dedication of America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers as they bring in the crops that keep it sweet in America.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) unanimously voted yesterday to maintain the Suspension Agreements on sugar imported from Mexico. This concludes a legal and procedural process required to be undertaken by the USITC and the Department of Commerce every five years to ensure the Suspension Agreements remain effective and are working as intended.

“Sugar is an essential ingredient for American consumers and food manufacturers, and our farmers and workers are proud to produce sugar here in the United States. However, predatory international trade practices threaten our family farms and American factories, and the USITC’s decision to continue the Suspension Agreements reflects that reality. Without these Suspension Agreements in place, the USITC found it likely that American farmers and workers would once again experience material injury due to dumped and subsidized Mexican sugar,” said Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis at the American Sugar Alliance.

The United States maintains antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) laws to defend domestic industries from injury by dumped and subsidized imports. In 2014, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled unanimously that imports of dumped and subsidized sugar from Mexico materially injured the U.S. sugar industry. The resulting duties levied on Mexican sugar exports to the U.S. to prevent damage to American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers were suspended by the AD/CVD Suspension Agreements with Mexico. Those agreements between the U.S. and Mexican government and the Mexican industry were signed in 2014 and strengthened by the first Trump Administration in 2017.

“On behalf of the 11,000 sugarcane and sugarbeet farmers and all of the sugar workers the American Sugar Alliance serves, thank you to the Trump Administration for continuing to put America’s farmers first,” said Luther Markwart, Chairman of the American Sugar Alliance and Executive Vice President & CEO of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association. “We know that food security is national security, and we must continue to foster a fair market in the U.S. that allows our domestic farmers and sugar processors to thrive.”

The Suspension Agreements were put into place after Mexico cost U.S. producers $4 billion and many sugar workers their jobs. The continuation of the Suspension Agreements for another five years will ensure Mexico is held accountable for its trade practices.

On behalf of the nation’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers, the American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement on Luke Lindberg’s confirmation as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (TFAA) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):

“The American Sugar Alliance congratulates Luke Lindberg on his confirmation as Under Secretary for TFAA. Under Secretary Lindberg understands that a strong agricultural trade agenda and enforceable trade rules are essential to keeping American agriculture competitive. This is especially true for sugar, since without U.S. sugar policy, our growers and workers would be forced to compete against foreign producers who unfairly benefit from foreign subsides and illicit trade practices. President Donald Trump and Secretary Brooke Rollins continue to add to a robust team at USDA, making it clear that they are committed to putting America’s farmers first.” 

America’s sugar producers are proud to support more than 151,000 jobs coast to coast, drive $23.3 billion in annual economic impact, and provide a steady, affordable supply of made-in-America sugar. American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers supply approximately 75% of the sugar consumed nationwide.

 

Traverse City, MI – Immense financial pressures and predatory international trade practices are threatening American family farms and factories. Farm economy and sugar policy exports presented on the challenges facing the U.S. sugar industry at the American Sugar Alliance’s 40th annual meeting this week.

Presenters shared that farmers’ operating margins are being squeezed by falling revenue and persistently high input costs.

“Farmers around the country have been dealing with historic inflation. Farm production expenses have increased by over $100 billion since 2018. Every single input category is more expensive today than what it was five or six years ago. The challenge that we have today is that the input costs are not going back down. The input costs remain elevated, they remain steady,” said Dr. John Newton, Executive Head, Terrain.

In just the past two years, prices for sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers have fallen by 26% and 13%, respectively. Those prices continue to fall as foreign nations that subsidize their own domestic industries are expected to dump near record amounts of sugar on the world market.

“According to market fundamentals, we have a massive deficit, prices should be high. However, stock draw downs, speculative market behavior, currency movements, shifts in ethanol diversion, and broader economic factors all have contributed to weaker sugar prices,” said Jose Orive, Executive Director, International Sugar Organization.

In response to these market conditions, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act included much needed provisions to strengthen U.S. sugar policy and help keep family farms in America. Over the past year, American farmers, workers, and food manufacturers joined together to advocate for these sugar policy provisions.

“In the Farm Bill, we supported its sugar provisions, loan rates and CCC storage rates were increased, and this reflects the very real rising cost of production that you’ve all faced,” said Randy Green, Principal, Watson Green, LLC; Consultant to the Sweetener Users Association. “Sugar users value our domestic suppliers. They have a preference for domestic sugar. . .We hope to continue working together with you on policies to benefit growers and users alike.”

Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis for the American Sugar Alliance, moderated several panels while speaking to the importance of U.S. sugar policy.

“Congress has repeatedly reaffirmed the importance of maintaining the farm safety net, and the sugar provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will provide our family farmers and producers with more certainty in the face of increased risk,” said Dr. Johansson. “A robust American sugar industry is critical to supporting our rural economies and maintaining our national food security.”

The American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement:

“America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane family farmers and workers are grateful the One Big Beautiful Bill Act included much needed provisions to strengthen U.S. sugar policy and help keep family farms in America. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of congressional leadership and the Trump Administration to advance policies that put America’s farmers first. Our farmers and workers will continue to advocate to Congress and the Administration for policies to help them weather the immense financial pressures and predatory international trade practices threatening our family farms and American factories.”

Farm policy is about much more than just the farm – it affects countless jobs from the field to the factory. Sugar is the main engine of economic growth in dozens of communities across the country, and much of the sugar made in America is done so by a union workforce. Supporting a strong U.S. sugar policy means supporting good, American manufacturing jobs.  

Members of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) were recently on Capitol Hill to share how Florida’s sugar industry is central to their communities.

More than 11,000 family farmers grow sugarbeets and sugarcane. Real sugar is then extracted from those crops and packaged into the refined sugar in your pantry at factories, mills, and refineries across the country. The economic impact of the sugar industry adds up to $23.3 billion annually for the U.S. economy – all centered around businesses that are farmer-owned, employee-owned, or family-owned. Some of our farmers and workers are passing down multi-generational legacies.

Eddy Garcia is a second-generation sugar worker at Florida Crystals, following in his dad’s footsteps. His daughter is now the third generation working at the company. Nancy Gutierrez, a special equipment operator at Florida Crystals, is also a multi-generational sugar worker.

“These jobs are generational jobs,” said Cornelius Fowler, a tractor-trailer operator with Florida Crystals. Fowler’s family has been living in the Glades communities surrounding Lake Okeechobee for more than 80 years and maintaining a strong U.S. sugar policy and good American jobs is personal to his family.

“Working in the sugar industry has given me the ability to send my kids to college,” Fowler shared. “I am grateful to be able to do these things to ensure my family continues having opportunities to live the American dream. Manufacturing jobs are the backbone of our community… [having] good-paying jobs in our community only makes us stronger.”

Working in sugar has also opened doors for U.S. Sugar worker Jose Medina, who was joined in DC by his son Jose Jr. Medina started working at U.S. Sugar more than 23 years ago, starting as a laborer hauling sugarcane as it was brought to the mill and working his way up to the position of microbiologist.

“It’s been an awesome career – I graduated high school, I didn’t go to college, but I immediately [started working at] U.S. Sugar and worked my way up. I’m grateful. It’s brought my family stability and a chance to put food on the table.”

“I’m really proud of him,” his son said, smiling.

Terry Crawford, with 26 years of experience, and Roger Schultz, are also long-term employees at U.S. Sugar.

“Without these jobs, our communities would dry up. This is the lifeblood of us around the lake. It’s not just the sugar people themselves, you have every store, every parts store, the barbershops, the restaurants – someway they’re connected to sugar,” Schultz explained.

The stories of our Florida sugar workers illustrate how sugar affects just one rural region. Yet, our industry operates a vast and integrated supply chain, encompassing more than 100 domestic sugar factories, mills, refineries, and storage facilities. This network ensures a stable, reliable supply of sugar to American manufacturers and consumers while also providing critical job opportunities in hundreds of towns across the country.

If you missed the first two installments of Sugar 101, check them out here: 

• Sugar 101: Meet Your Made-In-America Sweetener

• Sugar 101: How U.S. Sugar Policy Keeps it Sweet in America

The American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement:

“America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers are proud to produce sugar right here in America. Unfortunately, our family farms and factories are facing immense financial pressures which are making it difficult to continue. Several American sugar processing facilities have permanently closed in recent years resulting in the loss of multi-generational sugarbeet and sugarcane family farms and sugar worker jobs – an urgent signal that the farm safety net needs to be strengthened in order to keep sugar production in America and provide food security for consumers. Since the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill two years ago, sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers have been pressing Congress to update and improve the farm safety net. We thank Chairman Boozman and his colleagues for including in the reconciliation package necessary updates to the Farm Bill sugar provisions which have received strong, bipartisan support in past Farm Bill deliberations.”

June is National Candy Month, a celebration of all things sweet. This month—and every month—we take great pride in the hard work and dedication of America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers. Thanks to them, both candy manufacturers and consumers benefit from high-quality, made-in-America sugar. Sugar is an essential ingredient in not only your favorite treats, but also countless everyday foods vital to a balanced and healthy diet.

When we celebrate sweets, we’re also celebrating American family farmers and the policies that support their farms. While other confectionery inputs like cocoa remain difficult to procure, U.S. sugar policy helps ensure a reliable, affordable supply of sugar—keeping food manufacturing lines running, supporting American manufacturing jobs, benefiting local economies, and bolstering supply chains.

Due in part to the reliability of America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane growers and the stability provided by U.S. sugar policy, business is booming for American confectioners. The National Confectioner’s Association announced a new U.S. sales record of $54 billion in 2024.

Congratulations to America’s candy makers and a big thank you to our farmers and workers who provide just-in-time delivery of sugar throughout the year while meeting some of the highest labor, environmental, and food quality standards in the world.

Here are some more sweet facts to snack on this National Candy Month:

🍬 American farmers and workers supply 70-75% of the nation’s sugar needs. We expect a record year of American sugar production this year!

🍬 U.S. sugar policy ensures that we always have sugar available—current projections estimate that the U.S. could carry over as much as 4 billion pounds of sugar into the next marketing year.

🍬 Domestic producers provide sugar at reasonable prices despite supply uncertainties in the world market.

🍬 U.S. sugar policy puts our farmers and food manufacturers first. The high profitability and low volatility of the American candy industry can be attributed, in part, to U.S. sugar policy.

🍬 Data from the past dozen years shows a large amount in spending by food manufacturing companies in the U.S. to expand production—at least $1 billion per year for the past 12 years. There have been recent announcements of investments and expansions in candy manufacturing in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

🍬 All of this comes at zero cost to taxpayers and an affordable cost to consumers.

Behind every sugar-sweetened treat are farm families and workers who are dedicated to producing American-made sugar. So, if you dig into something sweet to celebrate National Candy Month, don’t forget to thank a farmer.

The American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement:

“America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers are proud to produce sugar right here in America. Unfortunately, our family farms and factories are facing immense financial pressures which are making it difficult to continue. Several American sugar processing facilities have permanently closed in recent years resulting in the loss of multi-generational sugarbeet and sugarcane family farms and sugar worker jobs – an urgent signal that the farm safety net needs to be strengthened in order to keep sugar production in America and provide food security for consumers. Since the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill two years ago, sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers have been pressing Congress to update and improve the farm safety net. We thank Chairman Thompson and his colleagues for including in the reconciliation package necessary updates to the Farm Bill sugar provisions which have received strong, bipartisan support in past Farm Bill deliberations. We also thank Chairman Smith and his colleagues for including several tax provisions that will benefit family farmers in the reconciliation package, including vital tax relief that will make it easier for farmers to pass along their multi-generation operations and keep sugarbeet and sugarcane farms in America.”

Why is your tractor worth more than our house?”

Minnesota sugarbeet farmer Neil Rockstad recalled a kitchen table conversation with his wife while speaking at the 101st annual Agricultural Outlook Forum. She had observed that the cost of a new tractor was worth more than their house.

The already high – and rising – cost of essential farm equipment was one of the common themes at the 101st Agricultural Outlook Forum hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Arlington, VA, on February 28, 2025.

Both Neil and Louisiana sugarcane grower Travis Medine presented as part of the sugar panel at the forum. They observed that labor and machinery were among the highest costs in their farm budgets. Much of that machinery is highly specialized for sugarbeet or sugarcane cultivation.

“All of our harvest and processing equipment – especially in the sugarcane industry – is specific to that crop and that crop only. I can’t take my sugarcane planters and go plant anything else with them. I can’t take my sugarcane harvester and do anything other than cut grass with it – and I can tell you, you don’t want to cut grass with a half-a-million-dollar lawnmower,” Travis remarked.

Neil shared that not only is there a large upfront investment for farming implements, but the cost to fuel and maintain them is also extremely high – especially when field work requires multiple tractors. It costs $1,000 a day to fuel just one tractor.

Farmers in Louisiana are experiencing similar budget pressures. Budget modeling conducted by Louisiana State University found that for Louisiana sugarcane farmers, land rent is up about 59 percent over the past five years, fixed costs are up 62 percent, and total costs are up 43 percent.

Modern farming and incredible advancements in on-farm practices have increased efficiencies and reduced the need for inputs such as fertilizer and crop protection tools, but is also incredibly expensive.

“We’re pledging our farms, our land, our houses, our machinery against a short-term operating loan, hoping that we can make it to the end of the season without a crop disaster or a significant price downturn,” Neil said.

Both farmers noted that crop insurance is an essential risk management tool to help farmers recover and plant again following a crop disaster. Even then, crop insurance does not cover all the costs of planting and cultivating a crop or the lost revenue. Farmers must always plan for the worst-case scenario.

“We have to have enough in our budget to deal with the bad things that happen and just hope that they don’t,” Travis said.

Neil and Travis both highlighted the benefits of sugar production to their farms and rural communities. Benefits that would disappear if it was no longer financially viable to farm sugarbeets and sugarcane. Travis noted the “generational aspect of farming” and the need to create a strong succession plan.

More than anything, the farmers noted the urgent need for a five-year Farm Bill to bring greater certainty to the farm economy. The Farm Bill proposals put forth in the last Congress included a strengthened U.S. sugar policy.

Neil concluded his presentation with a plea to Capitol Hill: “Congress needs to pass a five-year Farm Bill to provide confidence for us to make all of these investment in a crop.” 

On behalf of the nation’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers, the American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement on Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation as Secretary of Labor:

“Secretary Chavez-DeRemer has been a great advocate for America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and we congratulate her on her well-deserved confirmation as Secretary of Labor. We were honored to host Chavez-DeRemer at last year’s International Sweetener Symposium, where she reiterated that ‘federal policies must ensure that our farmers and ranchers have the support they need.’

“America’s sugar industry is proud to offer good American jobs, many of which are union jobs and are often located in communities where other job opportunities may be limited. We look forward to working with Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to continue supporting American jobs and addressing labor challenges that harm our farms and factories.”

America’s sugar producers are proud to support more than 151,000 jobs coast to coast, drive $23.3 billion in annual economic impact, and provide a steady, affordable supply of made-in-America sugar. American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers supply approximately 75% of the sugar consumed nationwide.

On behalf of the nation’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers, the American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement on Howard Lutnick’s confirmation as Secretary of Commerce:

“At a time when our sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers face mounting challenges, including rising input costs and heavily subsidized foreign sugar, we are confident Secretary Lutnick will champion policies that put America’s farmers first. We congratulate Secretary Lutnick and know his leadership will be essential to ensuring a level playing field for American agriculture and securing the long-term strength of our domestic sugar industry.” 

America’s sugar producers are proud to support more than 151,000 jobs coast to coast, drive $23.3 billion in annual economic impact, and provide a steady, affordable supply of made-in-America sugar. American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers supply approximately 75% of the sugar consumed nationwide.

South Texas was once home to the farmer-owned Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers (RGVSG) cooperative, comprised of more than 100 family farmers growing sugarcane and a raw sugar mill in Santa Rosa. Due to Mexico’s failure to deliver the water it owes the United States under the 1944 Water Treaty, the mill is now shuttered and the few remaining acres of sugarcane plowed under.

Jennifer Cervantes, who has represented these farmers for more than 15 years, painted a picture of a once vibrant sugarcane industry in her statements before a House Appropriations Committee member briefing yesterday. Read her statement as prepared.

Nearly 40,000 acres of sugarcane once grew in the Rio Grande Valley, fueling the sugar mill and providing approximately 500 jobs critical to these rural communities. The loss of the RGVSG has been felt across the entire region.

“[The RGVSG cooperative] was a vital part of the region’s agricultural sector and the sugar supply chain in the U.S. The industry contributed over $200 million annually to the Texas economy, was the only producer of raw sugar in Texas, and was one of only three sugarcane-producing states left in the U.S.,” Jennifer said.

The steep decline in sugarcane acreage in Texas can be directly attributed to Mexico’s decision to not deliver the water it owes the U.S. With irrigation water supplies at critical levels, and with little water coming from Mexico, growers were forced to make the hard decision to plow out their sugarcane. In early 2023, sugarcane acreage fell from 34,000 to 16,500, and then again to 10,000 acres in early 2024. Now, there are zero acres planted to sugarcane in the Rio Grande Valley.

“Investing in and conducting required maintenance on the sugar mill to continue operating was infeasible,” Jennifer explained. “Without a sugar mill to process harvested sugarcane, the remaining sugarcane acres were plowed out – with growers bearing the losses.”

The closure of the RGVSG cooperative mill and the significant loss of agricultural production has economic consequences and national food security implications.

“Strength in our supply chains, especially for food production, occurs when diverse locations across the country can sustain production, allowing a poor crop in one region to be offset by good harvests in other regions. Mexico is blatantly appropriating water that rightfully belongs to the United States, enhancing its food security while undermining ours,” Jennifer said.

American farmers cannot survive when other countries fail to uphold their international agreements. The U.S. government must immediately support strong enforcement of the 1944 Water Treaty and ensure Mexico delivers water in a timely manner.

Jennifer stressed the urgency of the situation in Texas, asking Congress and the Trump Administration to “reset our posture with Mexico on this Treaty before more agriculture is plowed under and more livelihoods are lost.”

From left to right: Jed Murray, Texas International Produce Association; Jennifer Cervantes; Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-26), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee on National Security; Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX-15); Dale Murden, Texas Citrus Mutual.

Tim Deal, a fourth-generation farmer from Minnesota, testified in front of the Senate Agriculture Committee yesterday, telling members that while he’s proud to play a role in feeding America, “pride does not pay the bills.”

Tim’s testimony on the hardships of higher input costs and greater financial pressures highlights the grave challenges facing family farmers across the country and the immediate need for a five-year Farm Bill. Read his testimony as prepared.

“This hearing is timely and important. Many growers across the country are truly struggling under very difficult economic conditions,” Tim said.

Tim grows sugarbeets in Doran, Minn., and serves as Vice President of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association and as Chairman of the board of the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative. Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative is a 51-year-old grower-owned cooperative with more than 450 shareholders in Minnesota and North Dakota. In fact, every sugar factory and refinery in the U.S. is either cooperatively-owned, employee-owned or family-owed. Deal testified to the significance of this cooperative structure for farmers.

“Sugar prices for sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers have fallen by more than 10 percent over the past year. In addition, our story is complicated by the fact we must pay for on-farm expenses and investments, but also factory expenses and investments [such as capital improvements and operating costs]. That means all the increases in labor, fuel, fertilizer, and equipment costs over the past few years…fall on the sugarbeet and sugarcane farmer,” he said.

Despite these challenges, Tim noted the incredible benefits of U.S. sugar production for both taxpayers and consumers. Sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers have invested in a resilient supply chain and on-farm efficiencies. These investments, while costly for farmers, will enable American sugar production to hit a new record this year – coming on the heels of another record year. Consumers benefit from an affordable and available supply of sugar thanks to American farmers.

Yet, the Farm Bill is now woefully out of sync with the real-world stressors faced by farmers like Tim. It no longer provides a stable economic foundation for farmers to operate and produce crops for our nation’s food security.

“In addition to cost and price pressures, we are grappling with an out-of-date Farm Bill safety net,” Tim said. “Without a meaningful improvement in the safety net, many growers, including sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers, will find it harder to finance their operations.”

On behalf of the nation’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers, the American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement on Doug Burgum’s confirmation as Secretary of the Interior:

“The American Sugar Alliance congratulates Doug Burgum on his confirmation as Secretary of the Interior. His leadership will be essential to ensuring that America’s farmers have the resources they need to succeed. As the former governor of North Dakota, home to the Red River Valley, the largest sugarbeet-production region in America, we know Secretary Burgum understands how important domestic sugar production is to ensure a reliable supply of a critical ingredient and to strengthen our national food security. We look forward to working with him to address the challenges facing rural communities and advancing policies that put America’s farmers first.” 

America’s sugar producers are proud to support more than 151,000 jobs coast to coast, drive $23.3 billion in annual economic impact, and provide a steady, affordable supply of made-in-America sugar. American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers supply approximately 75% of the sugar consumed nationwide

On behalf of the nation’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers, the American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement on Kristi Noem’s confirmation as Secretary of Homeland Security:

“Congratulations to Kristi Noem on her confirmation as Secretary of Homeland Security. We look forward to once again partnering with Secretary Noem to address the needs and priorities of America’s sugar producers. From her time in Congress and as governor of South Dakota, Secretary Noem knows well the challenges faced by the agriculture industry. That includes strong enforcement of U.S. trade and customs laws and safeguarding the supply chains that power America’s rural economies.” 

America’s sugar producers are proud to support more than 151,000 jobs coast to coast, drive $23.3 billion in annual economic impact, and provide a steady, affordable supply of made-in-America sugar. American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers supply approximately 75% of the sugar consumed nationwide.

On behalf of the nation’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers, the American Sugar Alliance issued the following statement on Marco Rubio’s confirmation as Secretary of State:

“Congratulations to Marco Rubio on his confirmation as Secretary of State. As the former senator from Florida, Secretary Rubio understands just how deeply American sugar production is tied to America’s economy, food security, and rural communities. Secretary Rubio and the Trump administration are committed to ensuring that American industries – including sugar – remain competitive in the face of global challenges. Secretary Rubio will be a great champion for protecting U.S. agricultural interests on the world stage.”

America’s sugar producers are proud to support more than 151,000 jobs coast to coast, drive $23.3 billion in annual economic impact, and provide a steady, affordable supply of made-in-America sugar. American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers supply approximately 75% of the sugar consumed nationwide.

Sugar is an essential part of our holiday traditions. Family recipes passed down from generation to generation bring warmth and joy to the holiday season.

These sweet moments wouldn’t be possible without the sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers who provide us with a made-in-America supply of real sugar. In fact, our farmers and workers meet approximately three-fourths of our domestic needs, thanks to U.S. sugar policy.

Every day, we thank America’s farmers for their hard work and dedication in putting meals on our tables.  

The holiday season comes at a unique time for America’s sugar industry. Sugarcane farmers in Louisiana and Florida are still hard at work in the fields harvesting this year’s crop while sugar workers across the industry clock-in for factory shifts to turn both sugarbeets and sugarcane into the sugar in your favorite holiday treat. We continue to face new challenges, threatening our family farms and farmer-, worker-, and family-owned factories. We need a five-year Farm Bill to help us keep it sweet in America.  

Congress must make passing a five-year Farm Bill that strengthens the safety net for sugar producers and provides long-term certainty for rural America a priority in the new year. It’s time we put America’s farmers first.

So, as you place sweet treats into stockings hung by the chimney with care, please remember the family farmers and workers who keep you supplied with sugar.

From our farmer and worker families to your family: we wish you the sweetest of holidays and a happy new year.  

To our farmers, workers, and everyone who makes our industry sweet, thank you. 

America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers are asking Congress to act urgently to strengthen the farm safety net. It’s important to listen as farmers share their stories. It’s just as important to recognize that farm policies affect more than just the farm — there are millions of Americans who depend on the economic engine of American agriculture.

Farm Policy Facts recently shared a piece on 10 reasons to pass a Farm Bill, noting that more than 22 million full and part-time jobs in 2022 were related to the agricultural and food sectors. Farmers and agriculture help drive our economy forward.

When it comes to agriculture, sugar is a small commodity with an outsized impact. Sugarbeets and sugarcane are grown on a little more than 2 million acres but supply three-quarters of the domestic demand for sugar while supporting more than 151,000 jobs and driving more than $23 billion in annual economic impact coast-to-coast.

The crops grown by our farmers support good American manufacturing jobs as skilled workers create a made-in-America food product for your family. Many are union jobs in areas where job opportunities can be limited.

If we want to keep good American jobs in America, Congress must strengthen sugar policy.  

On behalf of our workers, farmers, and communities, we are calling on Congress to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that supports American food manufacturing and preserves American jobs.

All of us who benefit from the bountiful and efficient food and agriculture system in America should also demand it.

The American Sugar Alliance congratulates Brooke Rollins on being nominated as Secretary of Agriculture by President-elect Donald Trump. 

“America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and factory workers applaud President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to ensuring that agriculture remains a vital cornerstone of our nation’s economy and food security. Agriculture is facing historic challenges, and we look forward to working with Secretary-designate Rollins to support our farmers, protect rural communities, and preserve the most abundant and diverse food supply in the world,” said Jack Pettus, Chairman of the American Sugar Alliance.

From coast to coast, American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and factory workers support more than 151,000 jobs and drive $23.3 billion in annual economic activity.

This National Farmer’s Day, we will be celebrating America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and everything they do to make our lives sweeter.

Our 11,000 sugarbeet and sugarcane family farmers support over 151,000 American jobs coast-to-coast. In many of these communities, sugar is the main engine of economic growth. Rooted in farmer-, employee-, and family-owned cooperatives, our industry contributes more than $23 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

Behind these numbers are multi-generational legacies – farmers who have worked the land for decades, passing down their passion and their pride in growing the food we eat, upholding the highest environmental standards, and ensuring a reliable supply of made-in-America sugar.

Meet some of America’s sugar producers: 

Sugarcane farmers Charles and Wanda Guidry 
Erath, LA

“Sugar is very important in our community. It’s created a whole lot of jobs.”

Sugarbeet farmer Lynn Johnson 
Ada, MN 

“It’s not just the farmers [who benefit from U.S. sugar policy], but the people that support the industry, all the people that come and help us, the truck drivers, the people that sell equipment, that service equipment, the seed people, our suppliers.”

Sugarcane farmer Keith Wedgworth  
Belle Glade, FL

“Agriculture is the best industry out there. It’s one of the last that is family-oriented.”

Sugarbeet farmer Laura Rutherford  
Grafton, ND

“I want to be able to pass [the farm] on to [my kids]. I think that’s what keeps all farmers going through the good years, the bad years, and the really bad years.”

The grit and dedication of our farmers inspire us every day. That’s why we are fighting for a bipartisan Farm Bill that will help them continue these family farming legacies and #KeepItSweet in America.

Stay connected. Follow the American Sugar Alliance on X, Facebook, and Instagram for updates and to learn more about the hard work of America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers.

By Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis

The volatility of the cocoa market has led to some truly spooky headlines over the past year, including cautionary tales of candy shortages. It’s inevitable that these headlines will rise from the dead again this Halloween and opponents of U.S. sugar policy may choose to take this opportunity to take a stab at sugar producers.

But if your Halloween basket is light on chocolate this year, it’s cocoa that’s the culprit – not sugar.

Chocolate, a key ingredient found in many Halloween favorites, is made from cocoa beans.  And nearly 60% of the world’s cocoa beans come from just two countries: Ivory Coast and Ghana. Both countries have had several years of terrible harvests, leading to a global deficit of cocoa and prices 200% higher than just three years ago.

The prices for some other key candy ingredients, including dairy, oil, and sugar, by comparison have remained relatively unchanged over that same period.

Thankfully, U.S. sugar policy has provided Halloween candy manufacturers with stable sugar prices and a reliable domestic source for an essential ingredient. Not to mention, the cost of the sugar in your favorite Halloween treat is likely just a penny or two, and research from the University of Tennessee has shown that there is little-to-no correlation between changes in sugar prices and the prices that grocery shoppers ultimately pay for sweet treats.

Frighteningly, very little of the cost of candy goes back to sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers.

Our farmers and factory workers take immense risks to plant, raise, harvest, store, and process the crops that sweeten our celebrations. Let’s make sure we don’t falsely point to them as the boogeyman this Halloween season.

Ryan Munn, a third-generation sugarbeet farmer from Washington State, recently advocated for the passage of a strong Farm Bill in The Seattle Times. Growing sugarbeets has been a vital part of his family’s crop rotation for more than 30 years.

“The Farm Bill is essential to our livelihood, as it provides a stable safety net, allowing us to grow the agricultural commodities that form the foundation of our food supply. Today, R. Munn Farms grows sugar beets, along with onions, shallots, carrots, turf grass seed, wheat, peas and beans. All these crops are touched by various provisions in the Farm Bill.” 

Hardworking sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers like Ryan depend on a robust safety net and strong sugar policy in the Farm Bill. They’re asking that Congress work together to pass a bipartisan and highly effective five-year Farm Bill as soon as possible.

“Rising production costs and weather challenges have made it harder for family farmers to survive, and without a strong Farm Bill, our farm and our ability to contribute to our communities would be in peril. We want Congress to pass a bill that better reflects these current economic realities.” 

Sugar production creates revenue and jobs that sustain local communities across the country. In Washington State, sugarbeet production supports more than 240 jobs, contributes $28 million annually to the state’s economy, and generates over 88,000 tons of sugar. But this all depends on passing a strengthened sugar policy provision in the Farm Bill to help ensure our family farmers, like Ryan, can continue to provide an affordable and reliable supply of made-in-America sugar.

“The time is now. Hardworking farm families like mine need your support. We know that Americans prefer American-made sugar, and we want to be here to supply it. Congress must pass a strong Farm Bill to protect farmers and ranchers across the country and ensure we can continue growing sugar crops and produce this essential ingredient.” 

Read Ryan’s full op-ed in The Seattle Times to better understand the importance of the Farm Bill to sugar producers in Washington and around the country.

Seattle, WA – In a bipartisan show of support for U.S. sugar policy, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR-05), Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA-02), and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04) all provided remarks at the U.S. sugar industry’s 39th annual conference, the International Sweetener Symposium, in Seattle, WA, this week.

Each of the members noted the importance of agriculture – particularly sugarbeets – to the region. Sugar production has a significant impact on the economy in the Pacific Northwest. In Washington State, sugarbeets drive $28 million in annual economic impact and in Oregon, sugarbeets drive $128 million in annual economic impact.

Farmers across commodities are facing rising production costs and greater weather challenges that have made it harder for family farms to survive.

“As one of the few farmers in Congress, I understand the unique challenges our producers face and have been working hard to ensure the long-term success of America’s agricultural industry,” Rep. Newhouse, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said in his recorded remarks at the International Sweetener Symposium. “I know that passing a comprehensive Farm Bill is of the utmost importance to our farm economy.”

Rep. Newhouse expressed support for the strengthened policy provisions in the Farm Bill passed out of the House Agriculture Committee in a bipartisan vote.

Rep. Chavez-DeRemer, a member of the House Agriculture Committee who voted for the bipartisan Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 when it passed the committee, also spoke about the need for a stronger farm safety net.

“I know that a strong farm safety net is essential to the growth and success of family farms. Federal policies must ensure that our farmers and ranchers have the support they need,” said Rep. Chavez-DeRemer. “Together, we can ensure the Farm Bill remains a pillar of support for our producers, helping them to thrive for generations to come.”

“If we don’t have food security, we don’t have national security. We are the breadbasket of the world and people are counting on us,” she said.

American agriculture is critical to maintaining a robust food supply. Rep. Larsen, Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, addressed the need to make investments in our domestic supply chains..

“Nationwide, the sugar industry supports over 150,000 jobs and contributes over $23 billion annually to the national economy. Many of these jobs and investments are in rural communities, and I certainly am committed to strengthening these communities through the investments that we make through infrastructure, our roads and bridges and highways and ports, to ensure that goods and people can move efficiently throughout the country and of course around the world,” said Rep. Larsen.

America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers are grateful to Reps. Chavez-DeRemer, Larsen, and Newhouse for their continued support of American agriculture and a strong U.S. sugar policy.

Seattle, WA – The bipartisan, bicameral leaders of the congressional Agriculture Committees reiterated their support for U.S. sugar policy during the 39th International Sweetener Symposium this week, hosted by the American Sugar Alliance.

In recorded remarks, House Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA-15), Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA-13), Senate Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) each emphasized the importance of maintaining a strong domestic sugar industry and remarked on the vital role sugar plays in feeding America.

“Sugar is so important. We can do without a lot of things, but the one thing we cannot do without is sugar,” said Ranking Member Scott.

As the primary architects of the next Farm Bill, these leaders have invested significant time listening to the concerns of America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers and workers.

“Across the country, the message I heard loud and clear is that farmers are struggling, and the safety net is inadequate. Between low commodity prices and high input costs, the margin squeeze is getting more serious as each day goes by,” Chairman Thompson explained.

Both the House and Senate Committees have released Farm Bill proposals to better support the ability of farm families and workers to grow, harvest, process, and deliver sugar to American families and food manufacturers.

“[The bipartisan Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024] will give renewed strength to the farm safety net, just as producers need it most,” Thompson continued. “On sugar specifically, not only did we deliver on critical policy improvements for domestic growers and processors, we were able to do so in a way that enhances the sugar supply chain which garnered the support of sugar users, making this the first ever Farm Bill supported by both sides of the industry.”

Chairwoman Stabenow spoke to the vast contributions of the U.S. sugar industry, which supports more than 151,000 jobs and more than $28 billion in annual economic activity, and the need to move a bipartisan Farm Bill.

“Sugar may be sweet, but your role in the American economy, and in communities across the country, is even sweeter,” Chairwoman Stabenow said. “I am hard at work to enact a bipartisan Farm Bill by the end of the year. My Farm Bill proposal, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, helps sugar growers by improving loan rates and making other important changes to the sugar program.”

America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farm families need a bipartisan, bicameral, and highly effective Farm Bill.

Ranking Member Boozman highlighted the need for additional farm support as well as underscored the importance of a strong domestic supply chain for sugar.

“Farmers are facing challenges ranging from historic inflation, record trade deficit, rising interest rates, devastating natural disasters, and global disruptions,” Ranking Member Boozman said. “Senate Republicans have released a framework that addresses those concerns… Our framework strengthens and protects sugar policy for growers, and we facilitate the movement of more domestic sugar into the marketplace for those who use it.”

The American Sugar Alliance will continue working alongside the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to encourage Congress deliver greater certainty and a strengthened safety net through a five-year Farm Bill as soon as possible.

On behalf of America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane farm families and the factory workers from across the country represented by the American Sugar Alliance, Neil Rockstad, a Minnesota sugarbeet grower, fourth-generation farmer and President of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, and Patrick Frischhertz, a Louisiana sugarcane grower and eighth-generation farmer, issued the following joint statement in response to the Farm Bill framework released this week from Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman, R-AR: 

“Our farm families need a bipartisan, bicameral, and highly effective Farm Bill. Senator Boozman’s proposal represents another positive step towards its enactment. We thank Ranking Member Boozman for his diligent efforts to understand the needs and concerns of the American sugar industry and to respond with improvements to sugar policy similar to those championed by Senate Chairwoman Stabenow and House Chairman Thompson. We stand ready to work with the Senate and House Agriculture Committees to encourage Congress to make this shared goal a reality this year. This effort is vital to delivering greater certainty and a strengthened safety net for America’s farm and ranch families.” 

A new U.S. government report on India’s egregious trade practices, co-authored with the government of Australia, once again demonstrates the importance of a robust U.S. sugar policy.

As Congress is preparing to debate a five-year Farm Bill that includes a strengthened safety net for American sugar crop farmers – at no cost to U.S. taxpayers – U.S. and Australian officials are providing evidence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) of the billions of dollars in subsidies India has lavished on its producers.

India subsidized its sugar industry by a whopping $17.6 billion in 2022. Those subsides are “vastly in excess of levels permitted under WTO rules,” according to the report, and continued even after a dispute panel ruled in 2021 that India had violated its WTO commitments on sugar.

India continues to be the poster child of a world sugar market that is, at best, dysfunctional, and at worst, prone to volatile market swings due to manipulation. In fact, even after that dispute panel finding that India was subsidizing its industry by $13.4 billion in 2018, the subsidy levels continued to climb to $15.9 billion in 2019, $14.6 billion in 2020, $16.5 billion in 2021 and $17.6 billion in 2022. And those amounts do not even include the supports that India has been providing its sugarcane ethanol sector, which also serve to distort the world market.

Ultimately, billions of dollars in foreign sugar subsidies from huge sugar producing countries like India and Brazil encourage the over production of sugar. That surplus sugar gets dumped on global markets, driving world sugar prices down below the costs of producing that sugar.

Unlike other countries, U.S. sugar crop farmers and workers produce a reliable supply of sugar under some of the world’s highest safety, labor, and environmental standards and at zero cost to taxpayers. India, on the other hand, is openly flaunting its WTO commitments to fair trade and repeatedly violating the rules. That is why Congress does not allow heavily subsidized foreign sugar to be dumped on our market.

The U.S. sugar industry has repeatedly called for an end to all global sugar subsidies, a concept known as zero-for-zero, and a modernized WTO that brings transparency and accountability to the world sugar market.

Until a true free market can be developed, weakening U.S. sugar policy would sacrifice our efficient American farmers to predatory practices, threaten 151,000 jobs, and undermine our national food security. All to benefit countries like India that continue to cheat the system with a bitter scheme of subsidies.

Support U.S. sugar producers by supporting a strengthened U.S. sugar policy.

With the next Farm Bill on the horizon, two sugarbeet farmers recently took to the pages of their homestate papers to praise U.S. sugar policy for keeping our food supply secure and supporting their family farms. U.S. sugar policy must be preserved and strengthened in the next Farm Bill.

Colorado farmer Paul Schlagel grows sugarbeets in Boulder County for Western Sugar Cooperative. His family farm has been in operation for more than 100 years. Paul wrote in his op-ed for the Colorado Springs Gazette that the economic pressures and significant cost increases facing farmers requires a stronger farm safety net.

“It is more important than ever that we have the strongest safety net possible to sustain current [sugar] production levels and maintain our national food security,” Paul wrote. “Without a strong safety net, family farms like mine would be driven out of business and countless jobs would be eliminated.”

In Montana, farmer Shane Strecker, who also grows sugarbeets for Western Sugar Cooperative, pushed back against farm policy critics in the Billings Gazette. Shane pointed to the recent closure of Sidney Sugars in Montana and the resulting economic and job losses as a warning sign of what could happen if U.S. sugar policy were weakened.

“Letting farms like mine fail by eliminating a policy that costs taxpayers nothing would mean fewer American jobs and more food grown in [sugar] subsidizing countries like Brazil and India. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take, and I bet most Americans aren’t either,” Shane wrote.

Sugar crop farmers like Paul and Shane are critical to maintaining a strong and resilient domestic supply of an essential food ingredient. We are grateful for Congress’ continued bipartisan and bicameral support of the no-cost sugar policy that allows these farmers to survive.

A long-time veteran of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Casey Bean will join the American Sugar Alliance (ASA) as the organization’s trade consultant on May 1. Bean will work with ASA to analyze the complex global trade issues that impact U.S. sugar farmers and shape America’s no-cost sugar policy.

With more than thirty years of experience working with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Bean’s work at FAS spans multiple regions across the globe including the countries of Bolivia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Japan, Pakistan, Peru, and Venezuela. He participated in trade negotiations and enforced the rules critical to maintaining a level playing field for U.S. agriculture as a member of the Senior Foreign Service, both while overseas and as a senior director at FAS headquarters.

Most recently, Bean served as Agricultural Counselor with the rank of Agricultural Minister Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. In this capacity, he liaised with USDA and USTR staff, U.S. lawmakers, and other leaders to promote U.S. priorities and strengthen domestic food security in the 7th largest market for U.S. food and beverages.

“We are excited to welcome Casey to the team at this critical juncture for America’s sugar producers and farm policy,” said Cassie Bladow, Chairwoman of ASA. “His expertise, contacts, and on-the-ground trade experience will help our industry navigate new challenges on the world stage while moving the needle forward on our goal of a less distorted and more predictable global sugar market.”

The world sugar market is widely considered to be the most distorted and volatile commodity market in the world, fraught with trade rule violations and billions in foreign subsidies, threatening the sustainability of America’s sugar industry and the livelihoods of more than 151,000 American workers.

Bean will continue the excellent work of seasoned trade negotiator Brian Grunenfelder, who has served the industry since 2019.

“We are immensely grateful for Brian’s expert guidance over the past five years and unwavering commitment to fair trade,” Bladow said. “On behalf of America’s sugarbeet and sugarcane family farmers and factory workers, we are grateful for his dedication to ensuring that U.S. sugar producers can continue to contribute to America’s stable supply chain. We wish him the best in his well-deserved retirement!”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

May 2, 2023

Washington, D.C. – Today, Neil Rockstad, a sugarbeet farmer from Ada, Minnesota, testified before the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade.

On behalf of the American Sugar Alliance, he thanked Chairwoman Tina Smith (D-MN) and Ranking Member Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) for listening to the needs of American producers as they craft the next Farm Bill.

Rockstad highlighted the strengths of the domestic sugar industry and reiterated the concern shared by all Title I commodities that the safety net needs to be updated to reflect the realities and conditions farmers are facing. “The safety net must be increased in this Farm Bill for long term stability to provide secure supplies for American consumers.”

As Senator Smith noted, farmers are “the center of our economy, our food system, and our national security.” This sentiment was echoed by other members of the committee and the farmers testifying. In addition, Rockstad reminded lawmakers that “Sugar was readily available on grocery store shelves throughout the pandemic. That success is attributable to U.S. sugar policy and the heroic efforts of our farmers and factory workers.”

“Many of the jobs and businesses generated and supported by the U.S. sugar industry are in rural areas and urban areas where good blue-collar jobs have become harder and harder to find. As an industry, we are proud to provide high-paying good jobs in our communities,” said Rockstad. “In my home state of Minnesota, the sugarbeet industry provides almost 21,000 jobs and has a $3.06 billion economic impact.” Sugarbeet farmers are proud to be a part of the $16 billion in value for Minnesota, which Senator Smith spoke about in her opening remarks.

As the committee considers how to write a Farm Bill that is tailored to meet the needs of American farmers, ranchers, and producers in every part of the country, Rockstad urged lawmakers to support the 11,000 American sugarbeet and sugarcane family farmers and the employees in our mills, processors, and refineries.

It bears repeating that “effective sugar policy, which maintains a strong domestic industry, is essential to the food security of our nation.”

Read Neil Rockstad’s full testimony.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

April 26, 2023 

Washington, D.C. – Today, Patrick Frischhertz, a sugarcane grower from Plaquemine, Louisiana testified before the House Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit. He thanked Chairman Austin Scott (R-GA-8) and Ranking Member Shontel Brown (D-OH-11) for listening to the needs of American producers as they craft the next Farm Bill.  

On behalf of the American Sugar Alliance, Frischhertz called on lawmakers to ensure “Title I sugar policy…provide[s] an adequate economic safety net for American sugarcane and sugarbeet farmers.” Without sugar policy, “we would effectively outsource our sugar supply to heavily-subsidized and unreliable foreign sugar suppliers whose environmental and labor standards simply do not measure up to our own. That would be the opposite of strengthening supply chains and contrary to providing a safety net to American producers. Under that scenario, farmers, consumers, and taxpayers would all lose.” 

He reminded the subcommittee of the vital role sugar producers play in the nation’s food supply by ensuring American consumers have “a safe, high-quality, reliable, sustainably produced and affordable supply of an essential ingredient.” He also underscored the effectiveness of U.S. sugar policy that serves Americans at “no cost to the U.S. Treasury.”  

Frischhertz spoke on the challenges sugar producers face from high input costs, tight margins, and crop and weather disruptions. He urged the members to examine “how the farm safety net could be updated in the next Farm Bill for all Title I commodities to better match actual operating costs for producers,” and gave sugar producers’ support for the subcommittee’s interest in developing additional risk management programs to complement crop insurance. “We are certainly receptive to new efforts to provide standing disaster coverage in ways that do not undermine crop insurance and possibly even encourage greater participation and coverage levels.” 

As this subcommittee considers how to write a Farm Bill that meets the needs of our producers and the American people, Frischhertz urged lawmakers to support the 11,000 American sugarcane and sugarbeet family farmers and the employees in our mills, processors, and refineries. 

It bears repeating that “effective sugar policy, which maintains a strong domestic industry, is essential to the food security of our nation.” 

Read Patrick Frischhertz’s full testimony.

Conventional agriculture has paved the way for farmers to make rapid advancements in protecting and promoting soil health, Dr. Rebecca Larson, Chief Scientist for the Western Sugar Cooperative, testified before the House Agriculture Committee, today. “The evolution of conventional ag practices has reduced soil erosion by 35% across the U.S.,” Dr. Larson told Congress. “Soil health is critical for farmers. It reduces crop inputs, increases crop productivity, and instills resiliency in the agroecosystem.”  

Dr. Larson expounded upon data collected from the 800 small family farmer-owners who farm sugarbeets and collectively own the Western Sugar Cooperative. In order to ensure soil health and sustainably grow sugar, Western Sugar Cooperative growers focus on: 

• Conservation tillage: Most Western Sugar Cooperative growers use conservation tillage, improving microbial diversity and adding other environmental benefits. 
• Cover crops: Fall-seeded cover crops, spring-planted rye, and the previous year’s crop residue are all used by Western Sugar Cooperative growers, depending on each grower’s circumstances, to protect their soil. 
• Conservation crop rotation: All Western Sugar Cooperative growers engage in conservation crop rotation to balance nutrient demands and protect biodiversity.  
• Genetically engineered sugarbeets: All of the U.S. sugarbeet crop is genetically modified, requiring less tillage and fewer pesticide applications. 

Armed with these tools, sugarbeet farmers in the Western Sugar Cooperative have reduced erosion by 90%, reduced pesticide usage by 40%, reduced fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, and increased water use efficiency by 30%. Importantly, farmers have increased yield from 8,000 to more than 11,000 pounds of sugar per acre, an achievement that Dr. Larson called “true sustainable intensification.” 

The U.S. sugar industry has preserved our natural resources, family farms, and rural communities for generations to come. Overall, U.S. sugar farmers produce 16% more sugar on 11% less land than they did 20 years ago.  

As Congress considers the next Farm Bill, Dr. Larson urged members to “invest in outcome-based solutions that keep the farmer in the driver’s seat, as they understand the nuance of their production system.” As dedicated stewards of the land, U.S. sugar producers continue to advocate for voluntary climate-smart policies that allow farmers to achieve their climate goals. 

Learn more about how Western Sugar Cooperative and the entire U.S. sugar industry is executing on its commitment to produce Sugar Sustainably.  

America’s farmers have an opportunity to be “a real hero in our ability to address climate change” through improvements in productivity and climate-smart practices, but a successful climate program “has to work for agriculture.” 

That was the message shared by Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), at the 37th International Sweetener Symposium yesterday. 

Bonnie outlined USDA’s approach to addressing climate change through building broad, collaborative partnerships across agriculture.  

“There’s so much diversity in agriculture,” Bonnie said, “that the approach to climate change can’t be one that dictates practices for low and high. It has to be modern. It has to be producer-led. It has to allow farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to choose which practices work best for them, and then provides incentives for them to do that.” 

Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must recognize the critical role American farmers play in producing a global supply of food and fiber.   

“We have to reduce emissions even while we maintain and enhance productivity. We’ve got to feed 9.5 plus billion people in the world by the middle of the century,” Bonnie explained. “U.S. agriculture is really good at productivity, and it’s really good at efficiency. That’s why I’m optimistic about the ability of U.S. farmers and U.S. forest land owners to be able to address climate change.” 

Thanks in part to strong federal farm policies, U.S. sugarcane and sugarbeet farmers continually invest in new research, technologies, and techniques to boost efficiency and protect our planet. U.S. sugar farmers produce 16 percent more sugar today on 11 percent less land compared to 20 years ago – and they’ve increased yield per acre by 30 percent while using fewer inputs.  

U.S. sugar producers continue to expand on this work and, as part of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA), support voluntary and incentive-based conservation programs that promote resilience in rural communities. 

Uncertainty in the farm economy has presented new risks for U.S. sugar producers. In addition to farm and trade policies that help level the global playing field, U.S. sugar farmers and workers need the Farm Bill to provide a strong safety net and affordable risk management tools. 

Bonnie emphasized the importance of crop insurance as a risk management tool, saying, “crop insurance is critically important for so many folks in agriculture.” He noted that there are ways to increase crop insurance accessibility while improving the products available to farmers. 

U.S. sugar producers are committed to a more sustainable future. A strong Farm Bill that preserves sound U.S. sugar policy and addresses the increased challenges facing farm producers will further this mission while protecting U.S. food production, preserving good American jobs, and supporting the local communities who rely on a vibrant U.S. sugar industry.  

Dr. Rob Johansson, Director of Economics and Policy Analysis at the American Sugar Alliance (ASA), testified before the House Committee on Agriculture today on the importance of supporting America’s sugar farmers, producers, and sugar supply chain by maintaining a strong U.S. sugar policy in the 2023 Farm Bill.

In his written testimony, Johansson outlined the strategic importance of American sugar production. The U.S. sugar industry generates more than 140,000 jobs and $20 billion in annual economic activity. In short, the U.S. sugar industry serves as the backbone of local economies in both rural and urban regions while keeping America supplied with an essential ingredient.

Over the past two years, Johansson pointed out, problems with global supply chains have made clear the danger of relying on uncertain foreign suppliers. “This is why an effective sugar policy, which maintains a strong domestic industry, is essential to the food security of our nation,” Johansson said.

Johansson thanked lawmakers for their bipartisan support of U.S. sugar policy, which, because it is based on loans repaid with interest, is designed to cost taxpayers nothing. This structure ensures U.S. sugar policy serves American farmers, consumers, food manufacturers, and taxpayers alike.

However, much like other agricultural sectors, sugar producers are feeling the pressure of rising production costs and inflation while loan rates for raw cane sugar and refined beet sugar have not kept pace. Johansson urged lawmakers to examine how the farm safety net could be updated to better reflect actual costs.

“Operating margins are being squeezed each year, due to rising labor, fuel, seed, fertilizer, equipment and interest rate costs that hit our producers in the field and at the factories they own. Having a loan rate that is closer to actual costs of production would provide a more effective safety net to our producers,” Johansson said.

Other farm safety net programs, such as crop insurance, are important for America’s sugar farmers, and could be improved upon to better meet the unique risk management needs of sugar crops.

Johansson also explained how farm and trade policies, and the strong enforcement measures put into place to uphold these policies, prevent our market from being flooded by heavily subsidized foreign sugar imported from the volatile world market. This sugar is normally sold well below the cost of production and is not produced under the same high standards as U.S.-made sugar.

“Our industry proudly meets some of the highest labor and environmental standards in the world, unlike many other large sugar producing countries. Moreover, using best practices and continuous improvement, our sector has made huge strides in sustainability,” Johansson said.

Johansson concluded his testimony by inviting lawmakers to visit sugar farms and processors throughout the country to see first-hand how U.S. sugar policy and the Farm Bill support America’s sugar farming families and workers, and the communities where they live and work.