YOUNGSVILLE, L.a. — Monday marks the start of the first work week in the New Year — and for Acadiana's sugarcane farmers, it's a busy one.
"If the weather would've stayed calm, cool, and dry, we would've been okay with the freezer-burnt cane," fifth-generation cane farmer Eddie Lewis III told KATC.
With the harvest season wrapping up on January 20, local farmers like Lewis said they're working against the clock to save their crop — all thanks to the aftereffects of December's arctic blast.
"Right now, it's like taking milk out of the refrigerator," Lewis said. "How long until it spoils? It's the day after New Year's, a lot of companies are closed and people are home, but me and my family, we're trying to save our crops."
And as every day, even every hour, counts for farmers at work, Lewis also mentioned it's a problem that comes with a hefty price tag, too.
"You're looking at over 500,000 tons of sugarcane being left in the field," he told KATC. "And that's about a $300 million impact on the State of Louisiana."
But it doesn't stop there.
With the rising costs of fertilizer, fuel, and labor, Acadiana's farmers' fears go beyond the farm.
"We've got a lot of money tied up in that sugarcane crop out here, and what we're looking at is leaving about 20 percent of that crop out in that field," Lewis said. "That affects my family, my daughter, but also your family, because the more money it costs me to save my crop or lose my crop, the more money it's gonna cost on the shelves."
Still, with every dark cloud comes a silver lining to Lewis. For example, getting to show the next generation — like his 11-year-old daughter Khloe — how to handle tough times.
"He's a hard-working man and he works hard to make other people happy," Khloe said.
So while you may very well see some higher prices on sugarcane products, Lewis and his family ask you to be patient on behalf of Acadiana's cane farmers as they do their best to wrap the season successfully and safely.
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