The American Sugar Alliance recently traveled to two sugar-farming states to talk with sugar producers about the farming practices they are using to sustain the environment.
Florida’s sugarcane farmers value the incredible resources and unique ecosystems that the state has to offer and have invested more than $450 million to restore and preserve the Everglades.
“We are the original folks that understood sustainability. By nature, we have to sustain what’s precious to us, and what is vital to us and that’s our land,” says Michael Ellis, Vice President of Strategic Environmental Affairs at U.S. Sugar.
In order to protect the Everglades, it’s critical to keep soil on farms and prevent phosphorus from entering the water. Sugarcane farmers in South Florida collaborated with scientists, industry partners and government agencies to develop state-of-the-art farming practices to protect the environment and reduce the amount of phosphorus entering Florida’s waterways.
What resulted was for the past 24 years, Florida sugarcane farmers have on average reduced the amount of phosphorus leaving their farms by 56%. That’s more than double the reduction target required by law.
“Being able to produce a crop, helping feed the world, and making the environment a better place? It’s a win-win,” says Jarad Plair, a farm manager for U.S. Sugar.
Nearly 2,000 miles away, the alliance joined fifth-generation farmer Curt Knutson as the sugar beet harvest in Minnesota was in full swing. Sustainability for Knutson and the other farmers who are part of the American Crystal Sugar Company co-op is a way of life.
“We do things sustainably, that’s what keeps us going generation to generation,” Knutson says.
For Minnesota’s Red River Valley, sugar beets are also a critical component of the region’s economic sustainability. American Crystal Sugar Company produces and sells approximately 3 billion pounds of sugar a year, and those sales have a $4.5 billion economic impact in the Red River Valley. The sugar beet crop supports more than just the farmers, it supports grocery stores, equipment manufacturers, service providers and everyone else who lives in that region.
Next week, sugar farmers from Florida to California will be trading in their coveralls and boots for ties and suits to meet with dozens of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. They will be sharing an important message with Congress: foreign sugar subsidies distort the global market and hinder sustainability.
Thankfully, America’s no-cost sugar policy rewards responsible actions to protect our planet. Our farmers are leading the way on sustainable sugar production.
Visit SugarSustainably.org to learn more about how sugar farmers and workers are producing sugar sustainably.
American Sugar Alliance