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varieties LCP 85-384, Ho 95-988 and L 97-128 continue to decline in usage, but still made up approximately 15% of the acreage. Other varieties such as HoCP 00-950, L 01-283 and L 01-299 helped to round out the slate of varieties grown during 2010. Growers recognize the wisdom of planting an assortment of varieties to maximize the strong points and minimize the weak points of the available varieties. With the release of the new variety L 03371, growers will have another choice to be able to utilize a high sugar variety that has shown good disease resistance in multiple years of testing. Hopefully this variety will provide growers with many years of favorable production. Several noteworthy news reports had sugar in the spotlight during the year. Construction of a new sugar refinery in Gramercy began early in the year. The refinery is jointly owned by Cargill, Imperial Sugars and SUGAR (a cooperative representing
eight Louisiana raw sugar mills and over 700 growers). The million-tonper-year refinery is scheduled to begin operations in 2011. The increasing trend for manufacturers to switch from high fructose corn sweeteners to sugar fueled some of the big stories in the food and beverage industry. Food companies have made the switch in an effort to satisfy consumer demand for products with simple, natural ingredients and beverage makers have reported that sugar sweetened beverages are appealing to people who are looking for better taste. This comes at a time of increased demand for sugar worldwide. With the increased demand comes a welcomed increase in raw sugar prices. The industry is currently experiencing the strongest sustained price rally in over a quarter century and has every reason to be optimistic about the future. Herman Waguespack, Jr., Agronomist, American Sugar Cane League
A & F TEXAS
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