Press Releases

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) announced today that his effort to secure critical funding for the USDA Sugarcane Research Unit (SRU) in Schriever, Louisiana, has cleared an important first hurdle. Graves’ $5 million for the SRU is included in the FY2025 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which the House will take up in July. Including this $5 million, Graves has secured $24 million to promote sugarcane research to improve production, efficiency and resilience to Louisiana’s $3 billion industry.

“Louisiana’s more than 400 sugarcane farms contribute over $3 billion to the annual economy, directly supporting 17,000 agricultural jobs,” said Congressman Graves. “Our sugarcane farmers compete against unfair, cheap and subsidized foreign producers while bearing the burden of high inflation and energy costs. The SRU research helps level the global playing field by making production more efficient, abundant and resilient. I am proud to support the work of the USDA to protect important American commodity crops and the farmers that grow them.”

Background:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Sugarcane Research Unit supports this critical industry by researching and developing improved varieties of sugarcane, expanding the cropping range, developing environmentally friendly production strategies, and combatting a constantly evolving pest complex that includes diseases, insects, and weeds. The funding will work toward completing the consolidation of the USDA/ARS-SRU program and personnel into a single location by finishing the final phase of construction of a laboratory and administrative building. Completion of these facilities would maximize operational efficiencies and greatly improve the effectiveness of taxpayer investments, who, for more than 100 years, have benefitted from significant financial support and access to hundreds of acres for on-farm research at no cost.