91传媒 research station harvests tradition, opportunity for sugarcane in Mississippi
Contact: Meg Henderson
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擡ach fall, Research Associate Scott Langlois and his crew harvest a small sugarcane crop growing at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station鈥檚 South Mississippi Branch, honoring a 40-year-old agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sell seed cane to new or current growers, and it always sells out.
The Poplarville station鈥檚 history of sugarcane production and research dates to 1925. The 鈥20s and 鈥30s were times of robust sugarcane trial research for the station, when 87% of the state鈥檚 population were farmers. In 1938, the USDA established the Sugar Crops Field Station in Meridian as the Mississippi hub for sugarcane research, and its staff worked cooperatively with MAFES scientists on research until its doors closed in 1983.
Retired station Superintendent Ned Edwards explained that when the Meridian facility closed, the university agreed to plant three of its high-performing varieties of syrup cane and an heirloom chewing variety, initially at the MAFES Beaumont station in Perry County.
鈥淲hen I came to Poplarville in 1989, it was being grown and distributed to farmers,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad someone at USDA had the foresight to ask 91传媒 to take care of the seeds so they would not be lost.鈥
Edwards said the crop鈥檚 biggest limitation is cold temperatures. Northern Mississippi represents the northernmost edge of sugarcane鈥檚 growing range in the U.S. The only states that produce commercial quantities of sugarcane are Florida and Louisiana, where cultivation is most prominent in areas south of Interstate 10.
鈥淪ugarcane can also be weakened by drought, which affects the height and quality of the plant,鈥 said Langlois, who came to Poplarville in 2004. 鈥淒iseases and pests are not common, but a hurricane or even a strong storm can blow down the cane stalks. It won鈥檛 kill them, but they鈥檒l grow curved, which makes them very hard to harvest.鈥
Edwards, who maintains a 20-year-old sugarcane field on his property, and Langlois have seen a surprisingly renewed interest in syrup making, especially from younger generations. Backyard sugarcane cultivation and syrup making have been long-running traditions since the crop鈥檚 introduction to the U.S. in the late 18th century. Today, small groups of enthusiasts want to preserve the agricultural science and art of their ancestors. 聽聽
鈥淲e have young people coming to buy sugarcane, and they鈥檙e asking us for advice,鈥 Langlois said. 鈥淪ome of them remember helping their grandfathers or great-grandfathers make syrup, and they don鈥檛 want this family tradition to be lost. They also enjoy the community鈥攚hen families come together for the harvest and pressing.鈥
Other customers seek new ways of using these traditional crops. In 2018, a hobbyist rum maker from Gulfport bought some cane from the station, pressed it and made a small batch of rum. Today, Circle Hook Distillery鈥檚 Agricole-style rum鈥攄eveloped in the French Caribbean islands from freshly squeezed sugarcane juice鈥攈as a devoted following and earned numerous awards in spirits competitions.
For inquiries about purchasing seed cane, call the research station at 601-795-4525. To learn more about the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the South Mississippi branch, visit .
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