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Jeff Crouere: Cassidy, GOP establishment turn their back on Trump

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 11:06am

JEFF CROUERE

In 2016, Donald Trump was elected president of the United States despite being opposed by the establishment of the Republican Party. After four successful years as president, he received a record-setting 74.2 million votes. Obviously, the vast majority of Republicans strongly supported President Trump and approved of his performance in office. Polls showed that President Trump’s support level among Republicans reached 90% in 2020, an amazing feat considering the type of opposition he faced.
Not surprisingly, he did not receive this type of support from his enemies within the Democratic Party, the Deep State, the media and the Republican Party establishment. These GOP opponents were powerful, although they did not represent a significant number of grassroots Republicans.
Some of the anti-Trump Republicans formed the now disgraced Lincoln Project. This group raised millions of dollars to purchase political advertisements encouraging voters to reject President Trump. They ridiculed him in every way imaginable; however, it is now poetic justice that the despicable actions of its leadership will lead to the organization’s demise.
Other Republican Party leaders who hated President Trump were careful to give lip service to his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) agenda, but they never truly supported it. In fact, these policies are despised by many Republicans, who prefer the big government globalist agenda supported by former GOP presidential nominees like the late U.S. Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., and the current U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah.
In the unconstitutional and unfair second impeachment of President Trump, these establishment Republicans saw a perfect opportunity to destroy the future potential of the MAGA agenda. In the U.S. House of Representatives, 10 Republicans voted to impeach the president. After a sham U.S. Senate trial, with a partisan Democratic senator sitting as “judge,” seven Republicans shamefully voted to convict the president.
Among this group was U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who was recently reelected to a six-year term. In his campaign, he aired countless television and radio commercials touting the support of president Trump. After using this key endorsement to win re-election, he immediately began to condemn the president for continuing to challenge the election results. Despite an avalanche of criticism from Republican voters in Louisiana and protests at his Senate office, Cassidy remained disparaging of the president in the election aftermath. It culminated in his vote to convict the former president for inciting the U.S. Capitol riot, even though he encouraged his crowd of supporters to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
In an interview with former Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos on ABC-TV, Cassidy discussed the future of the Republican Party. He said, “I think his (Trump) force wanes. The Republican Party is more than just one person. The Republican Party is about ideas.”
Yes, Sen. Cassidy, the Republican Party needs to embrace ideas, but they are the one articulated by President Trump. These ideas include cutting taxes and regulations, defending our Bill of Rights, especially the First and SecondAamendments, promoting strong borders, reducing illegal immigration, reasserting American sovereignty, supporting American manufacturing and jobs, demanding fair trade deals with China and other countries, pursuing energy independence, stopping the endless wars overseas, and insuring election integrity.
Obviously, Sen. Cassidy and his establishment Republican colleagues do care about President Trump or his MAGA agenda. He also does not care about his Republican supporters in Louisiana. Fortunately, the executive committee of Louisiana Republican Party leaders responded to Cassidy’s betrayal by unanimously voting to censure him for his reprehensible support of the Trump conviction.
This action followed the Wyoming Republican Party’s censure of U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, and the pending censure of U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., by his state’s Republican Party central committee. A petition has also been started by Utah voters demanding that Romney “resign” from the Senate.
The GOP opposition to the resident was not limited to those in Congress who supported his impeachment and conviction. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blasted former President Trump in a speech after the vote to acquit him.
McConnell claimed that Trump was “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day, no questions about it.” He continued, “The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president and having that belief was a foreseeable consequence of the growing crescendo of false statements, conspiracy theories, and reckless hyperbole which the defeated president kept shouting into the largest megaphone on planet Earth.”
While McConnell voted to acquit Trump, he noted that the former president could still be criminally punished for his actions. He stated, “We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being held accountable by either one.”
With GOP leaders like McConnell, who needs enemies? These contemptible comments by the Republican Senate leader will only harm the ability of the GOP to win in future elections. In an interview on Fox News, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., criticized McConnell’s comments.
He claimed that McConnell “put a load on the back of Republicans, that speech you will see in 2022 campaigns. I would imagine if you’re a Republican running in Arizona or Georgia or New Hampshire, where we have a chance to take back the Senate, they may be playing Senator McConnell’s speech and asking about it as a candidate.”
McConnell and the other Trump hating Republicans put their dislike of the President ahead of the interests of the party. McConnell symbolizes everything that is wrong in the Republican Party. He is a swamp creature who has been in D.C. for decades too long. He supports positions based on politics, not principle, and is clearly the leader of the GOP establishment.
If the McConnell wing of the Republican Party is not defeated, the GOP will eventually perish. It is either the “America First” agenda of Donald Trump or the MAGA supporters will form a new party. Grassroots Republicans are furious, and that anger is not going away.
Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs nationally on Real America’s Voice Network, AmericasVoice.News weekdays at 7 a.m. CT and from 7-11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com

Morgan City police radio logs for Feb. 12-15

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 11:00am

The following are the radio dispatch logs from the Morgan City Police Department. To report unlawful or suspicious activity, call the police department at 985-380-4605.
Friday, Feb. 12
6:49 a.m. 700 block of Bush Street; Juvenile problems.
7:44 a.m. Railroad Avenue and Martin Luther King area; Animal complaint.
10:48 a.m. Westbound Martin Luther King Exit area; Traffic stop/arrest.
11:48 a.m. Fourth Street and Brashear Avenue; Complaint.
1:08 p.m. 200 block of Union Street; Complaint.
1:20 p.m. 700 block of Everett Street; Remove subject.
1:31 p.m. 600 block of Bowman Street; Complaint.
1:57 p.m. 700 block of Everett Street; Animal complaint.
3:04 p.m. 1000 block of Brashear Avenue; Fire alarm.
4:45 p.m. Eleventh Street area; Battery.
5:05 p.m. Sycamore Street area; Theft.
6:01 p.m. 1200 block of Brashear Ave.; Alarm.
7:05 p.m. 700 block of Main Street; Welfare check.
8:39 p.m. 200 block of Aucoin Street; Animal.
10:06 p.m. 300 block of Lawrence Street; Officer stand by.
11:11 p.m. 300 block of Laurel Street; Accident.
Saturday, Feb. 13
3:33 a.m. 200 block of Federal Avenue; Criminal damage to property.
6:11 a.m. 600 block of Grove Street; Animal complaint.
6:43 a.m. 1100 block of Victor II Boulevard; Alarm.
11:30 a.m. 1000 block of Levee Road; Fire alarm.
11:38 a.m. 600 block of Arenz Street; Medical emergency.
12:18 p.m. 700 block of Seventh Street; Medical emergency.
12:51 p.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Complaint.
3:03 p.m. 2000 block of Railroad Avenue; Complaint.
3:22 p.m. Front Street near Brashear Avenue area; Traffic stop/arrest.
3:31 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Medical emergency.
3:35 p.m. 600 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard ; Traffic stop/2 arrests.
6:12 p.m. Louisiana and Fifth streets; Frequent patrols.
8:23 p.m. 1600 block of Chestnut Drive; Complaint.
8:49 p.m. 1300 block of Front Street; Animal.
10:58 p.m. 600 block of Brashear Avenue; Loud music.
Sunday, Feb. 14
2:47 a.m. 600 block of Front Street; Alarm.
2:56 a.m. 6300 block of La. 182; Removal of subject.
8:07 a.m. 1400 block of Railroad Avenue; Assist.
8:46 a.m. 700 block of Main Street; Medical emergency.
9:02 a.m. 7200 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
9:47 a.m. 1100 block of Marguerite Street; Possible drunk.
12:02 p.m. 300 block of First Street; Criminal damage to property.
12:23 p.m. 600 block of Brashear Avenue; Battery.
2:05 p.m. 1000 block of Brashear Avenue; Disturbance.
3:25 p.m. 1500 block of Elm Street; Medical emergency.
5:44 p.m. 500 block of Roderick Street; Assistance.
6:09 p.m. 1300 block of Front Street; Animal.
6:41 p.m. 300 block of Iowa Street; Animal.
10:10 p.m. 900 block of Garden Street; Medical.
Monday, Feb, 15
1:51 a.m., 300 block of Wren Street; Medical.
4:17 a.m., 700 block of Fifth Street; Disturbance.
6:29 a.m. 6400 block of La. 182; Alarm.
7:11 a.m. U.S. 90; Traffic incident.
7:21 a.m. U.S. 90 East; Crash.
7:27 a.m. La. 182; Traffic incident.
7:43 a.m. La. 182; Traffic incident.
9:26 a.m. 700 block of Myrtle Street; Complaint.
9:52 a.m. 600 block of Egle Street; Telephone harassment.
10:01 a.m. U.S. 90 West; Traffic incident.
12:08 p.m. 1000 block of Front Street; Disturbance.
12:16 p.m. 1100 block of Birch Street; Complaint.
2:14 p.m. 900 block of Myrtle Street; Animal complaint.
3:29 p.m. 900 block of Duke Street; Telephone harassment.
6:09 p.m. 7400 block of La. 182; Disturbance.
6:21 p.m. 3200 block of Roselawn Drive; Disturbance.
7:15 p.m., 500 block of Terrebonne Street; Medical.
8:22 p.m., 300 block of Laurel Street; Loud Music.
9:03 p.m., 700 block of Myrtle Street; Animal.

Morgan City, Bayou L'Ourse under boil advisories

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 10:50am

Staff Report

Morgan City and Bayou L’Ourse are under boil water advisories.
The city of Morgan City and Assumption Parish Waterworks District No. 1 each announced the advisories in Facebook posts.
“All Morgan City water customers should boil or disinfect their water before consuming it or using it for food preparation,” the city said on its Facebook page.
While Morgan City Mayor Lee Dragna could not be reached immediately for comment, he posted on his Facebook page this morning that with temperatures now above freezing, many water breaks are becoming noticeable in the city’s water system.
He encouraged property owners to check for leaks.
“If you can’t fix it right away, then call in to city hall, and we will come turn off your meter until it’s fixed,” Dragna wrote. “This is causing a tremendous strain on the city’s water system. Please help us by reporting any leaks you find.”
To report the water line breaks, call City Hall at 985-385-1770.
Meanwhile, Assumption Parish Water District No. 1 customers in Pierre Part, Belle River and Bayou L’Ourse areas also are under the advisory.
“We have breaks on our main lines in these areas,” the water district said in a Facebook post. “We will lift the boil water advisory once the bacteriological samples are received and are found to be in compliance from the state of Louisiana’s Lab.”

SUSAN MARIE TRAHAN

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 9:38am

March 1, 1950 – February 10, 2021
Susan Marie Trahan, a Franklin native and longtime resident of Baldwin, passed away at the age 70 on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Susan was the eldest of two children born to Ira and Theckla Trahan.
Survivors include her brother, Michael W. Trahan and his wife Meryl; nieces, Danielle Trahan and Nichole Trahan and her spouse Maddie Blaschke; and great nephew, Cole Owens.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ira John Trahan and Theckla Breaux Trahan.
Susan will be laid to rest in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Baldwin at a later date during a private inurnment held with immediate family.
Family and friends may view the obituary online by visiting www.iberts.com and are encouraged to share their condolences, cherished memories, love, and support for the family.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary, Inc., 1007 Main Street, Franklin, La. 70538, (337) 828-5426.

Ash Wednesday begins Lent and Easter season

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 8:31am

Beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting 40 days (excluding Sundays) until the arrival of Easter Sunday, the Lenten season is a very important time of year for Christians.
During Lent, Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, self-denial and spiritual discipline. While the Bible does not reference Lent, the practice of observing Lent has become a standard.
The following focuses on each of the special days of this church season as they pertain to Western Christianity (Eastern Orthodox churches observe Lent somewhat differently).
Ash Wednesday
The Day of Ashes commemorates the repentance of sin. On Ash Wednesday, Christians have ashes placed on their foreheads in the shape of a cross in recognition of their need to repent.
Many churches host Ash Wednesday services, and those who receive the ashes are not only reminded of their mortality and sinfulness, but also of the opportunity for absolution. Christians typically fast on Ash Wednesday, though some simply abstain from eating meat.
Palm Sunday
On what is now called “Palm Sunday,” Jesus Christ rode a donkey into Jerusalem while villagers welcomed him and waved palm branches. This is mentioned in each of the Biblical Gospels and occurs a week before His subsequent resurrection.
Jesus possibly rode a donkey rather than a horse as a sign of peace, as a war-waging king might ride a horse. The “Passion of the Christ” is typically read during Palm Sunday masses.
Holy Thursday
Holy Thursday is sometimes referred to as “Covenant Thursday,” “Maundy Thursday” or “Thursday of Mysteries.” Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the apostles. According to Catholic News Agency, Holy Thursday might be one of the most important, complex and profound days of celebration in the Catholic Church.
Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and the institution of the sacrament of the priesthood.
Good Friday
Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was condemned by his peers as King Herod and Pontius Pilate had found him not guilty of his crimes. But crowds were enraged, and Pilate reluctantly ordered his crucifixion rather than face a mass riot.
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday marks the final day of the Triduum, or the three days preceding Easter Sunday. Scripture states that Holy Saturday was when Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb.
Easter Sunday
A festive and celebratory day for Christians, Easter Sunday is a time for sharing the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. His body is discovered missing from the tomb, and Jesus appears to his followers again showing proof that He is alive.
Typically, Easter Sunday is one of the most well-attended Sunday services for Christians. It also is a day to spend with family, and many families share large meals to mark the end of the Lenten season.

Adult daughter annoyed by father’s playful pats

Wed, 02/17/2021 - 8:25am

By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: I am 20-something years old, and my father still hits my behind sometimes. I feel it is inappropriate, but the last time I complained about it, several years ago, it didn’t go over well. It also didn’t stop his behavior. What else can I do?
Right now all I can do is try not to place myself in a position where my behind is exposed. I no longer walk in front of him or wear leggings, and I wear oversized jackets to cover it. I’m a modest dresser. I’m not provocative.
Did people back in the day normally “playfully” hit their adult daughters’ behinds?
INAPPROPRIATE IN IDAHO

DEAR INAPPROPRIATE: No, they did not. Your daddy is acting like a dirty old man. His behavior may seem “playful” to him, but to persist after you asked him not to is not only inappropriate but also somewhat creepy.
You are an adult. No one has a right to hit, swat or put his hands on you regardless of how he claims it’s intended. Tell him again that you don’t like it and it makes you uncomfortable, and if he persists, he will see far less of his daughter.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I grew up in very conservative households. Since college (where we met) and moving to a large city, we have become more liberal. We have friends of other races with whom we are very close, but both of our families frequently post inflammatory and offensive, racially biased comments on social media. Do we have a duty because of our beliefs and our friends to publicly object to their posts? We have previously discussed our differences with these family members, and we don’t see eye to eye.
DIFFERENT NOW IN TEXAS

DEAR DIFFERENT: Because you have already discussed your differences privately with these relatives, feel free to post your reaction to the offensive posts. They won’t like you for it, and the rest of the tribe may gang up on you, but you and your husband will be able to look at yourselves in the mirror knowing you spoke aloud your truth.

DEAR ABBY: My wife of nine years has been faking a disability for seven of them. Yes, she was injured. However, I and many others are not convinced she’s in chronic pain. She doesn’t take her medication, and she functions like she did before her injury. This has had a detrimental effect on my life as well as our sons’ because we have to live with her lies. When confronted, she denies it, and so does her family.
STUCK IN THE LIE

DEAR STUCK: Your wife should be examined by a pain management specialist. Whether she’s in physical pain, psychological pain or faking can be determined by a medical doctor and possibly a licensed therapist who understands PTSD, depending upon how she was injured. For your sake, your sons’ and hers, you owe it to yourselves to find out what the cause is.
Of course, this suggestion depends on your wife agreeing to the examination. If you are correct in your suspicions, you may want to rethink whether this is how you want to live the rest of your life.
***
To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

State offices will be closed Wednesday

Tue, 02/16/2021 - 5:06pm

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne is announcing that state offices will be closed statewide Wednesday due to hazardous conditions caused by severe winter weather.

All agency heads are responsible for determining those essential personnel who should remain on duty, report for duty or those who should report to alternate work sites as necessary. Officials continue to monitor conditions throughout the state, and this announcement may be updated.

This office closure applies to all nonessential employees, including those authorized to work from home due to COVID-19.

State employees should be aware of the following phone numbers to call, which will be updated: 1-800-360-9660 or 225-342.-0498.

Surprise revelation of twins’ paternity is a family bombshell

Tue, 02/16/2021 - 12:55pm

By Jeanne Phillips, ©United Features Syndicate

DEAR ABBY: My son’s new wife — who has a daughter — insisted that his two children are not biologically his. After a DNA test, it turns out she was right. They aren’t.
My son, my husband and I are heartbroken. His twins are 10, and they don’t understand what’s going on.
My husband and I are trying to gently remain in their lives with phone calls and limited visits. My son’s wife refuses to visit with us until we stop communicating with the children, promise never to talk about them and display no pictures in our home.
She’s trying to convince our son to stop seeing us, as well. What to do?
DISAPPOINTED IN TEXAS

DEAR DISAPPOINTED: Those children, regardless of who their birth father is, were raised believing you and your husband are their grandparents. If you love them, do not knuckle under to your son’s new wife or it will be only the beginning of how she will attempt to control you.
She does not have the right to dictate who you (or your son, for that matter) see and communicate with. She also does not have the right to order you to remove any object from your home.
If your son opts to turn his back on those children, that’s a decision only he can make.
If he also chooses to turn his back on you, then you raised a milquetoast instead of a man.

DEAR ABBY: I’m a married man, and I love my wife. We’re not living together at the moment due to unfortunate circumstances.
Being far away from her, I get extremely lonely. I have a co-worker who became a good friend, and I have feelings for her. I have told her how I feel, and we have hung out a few times — nothing sexual. Now she’s moving away, and I feel heartbroken.
How should I deal? I’m fighting back tears for someone I’m not even with. What do I do?
HEARTBROKEN IN THE EAST

DEAR HEARTBROKEN: A relationship does not have to be sexual to be meaningful, and your co-worker was filling a space in your life that was empty. That you feel a sense of loss and sadness that she is moving is not surprising.
Not knowing the unfortunate circumstances that caused the separation between you and your wife, I can only advise you to start looking for a way to mend fences or change those circumstances so you can live together again, because clearly, you’re not doing well on your own. If that’s not possible, start giving serious thought to how you plan to live the rest of your life, because this way isn’t working.

DEAR ABBY: The other day I was on a video conference call with our boss and two colleagues. When “Joan” came on the call, “something” was hanging from one of her nostrils. She may have had a cold. I scratched my nose and mustache a few times, trying to alert her of what was happening, to no avail. She didn’t react. No one else said anything.
What would the correct protocol have been? Should I have left it alone or was I right to try to let her know? I did what I would have done in person. Should I have privately texted her? Please advise.
TELECOMMUTING WOES

DEAR TELECOMMUTING: If the person with the leaky nose had been you, wouldn’t you have wanted to know? Yes, you should have texted her.
***
To receive a collection of Abby’s most memorable — and most frequently requested — poems and essays, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby — Keepers Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

COVID shuts down Mardi Gras, but cake is still king

Tue, 02/16/2021 - 9:30am

GEOFF STOUTE

gstoute@daily-review.com

A lot has changed in the last year for Tyler Roe, baker at Bonnie’s Bouquets and Bakery in Patterson.
The versatile 26-year-old, who also is a tailor, had been making Mardi Gras costumes for local krewes. However, COVID-19’s effects wrecked his tailoring business, and following a three-year hiatus, he returned to a long-time love in the baking business to help with his income.
“I lost a lot of money this year, because I was doing professional costumes for Mardi Gras,” he said as he prepares dough for one of this year’s king cakes he is making at the bakery. “I did Galatea and Dionysus.”
He’s just one of the many who have adjusted to a different Mardi Gras this year that will be absent parades and balls.
Even without a traditional Mardi Gras, though, it doesn’t mean king cakes can’t be enjoyed.
“I really believe that the king cake becomes more of a focal point this year,” Cannata’s Market President Vince Cannata said. “Normally it’s the parades, and the king cake’s kind of like a little accessary.”
Not this year, though.
Cannata said the king cake has a bigger impact on celebrations this year in gatherings, because it’s “the one common bond” south Louisianians have with previous Mardi Gras celebrations.
He said sales at the business, which has three stores, have increased.
“People seem to be enjoying it a little bit more,” Cannata said.
Bonnie Riggenbach, owner of Bonnie’s Bouquets and Bakery, said sales have been down this year.
Arthur Pennison Jr., assistant store director at Rouses Markets in Morgan City, said while he hasn’t looked at the sales totals recently, he said sales are high in some of the chain’s stores.
“The king cakes have not stopped,” he said. “It’s still a staple of Louisiana’s Mardi Gras season. Even though there’s no parades, no floats, no balls, people are still looking for Mardi Gras king cake.
"They’re still looking for … Rouses great king cakes.”
It’s a tradition that has been around for about 150 years.
According to Manny Randazzo King Cakes’ website, it is believed the practice of making king cakes came to New Orleans from France in 1870.
The colors also have meaning, with purple representing justice; green, faith; and gold, power, according to Randazzo’s.
“These colors were chosen to resemble a jeweled crown honoring the Wise Men, who visited the Christ Child on Epiphany,” Randazzo’s website said.
So with a tradition that has been in south Louisiana for 100-plus years, what exactly makes a good king cake?
Pennison said a quality king cake, like with any food, is produced from “the love and care” that goes into making it.
“We have some very wonderful ladies that work back here in the bakery department,” he said. “It’s the taking of the dough from the prep stage of where we take it and make it into the ring …” and then continuing through the baking and icing and decorating. “It’s the care we put into our business, how we handle it,” Pennison said.
Roe, who has been baking for about 15 years, said “small, loving batches” is what makes a quality king cake.
“I think small batches, each one made by hand, not too fancy but old school,” he said of the homemade product.
Cannata’s also uses a homemade product.
“All of our cakes are made from scratch and hand graded, hand mixed, rolled out on old-fashioned sheeters, and then we proof them ourselves to let the dough rise,” Cannata said.
After baking the cakes, they are decorated onsite.
And the fillings in the king cakes seem almost endless, with Bavarian cream the top seller at Rouses Markets and Bonnie’s Bouquets and Bakery, while Cannata’s most popular king cake is likely the goey butter snickerdoodle, for which Cannata said the store won the business the “People’s Choice Award” at the King Cake Fest in New Orleans.
King cakes made locally are shipped nationwide, too. Rouses ships in the continental United States, while Cannata said they have sent the delicacy to Hawaii. He said they send quite a few to the Hollywood area, too.
Back at Bonnie’s, Roe, who also is a licensed florist and works in the floral department at the business, said as he preps king cakes for baking that his first love perhaps is where he should have been all along.
“Who knows? Maybe I was meant to do this,” he said.

2020-21 cane crop looks like a new record

Tue, 02/16/2021 - 9:22am

BRUCE SCHULTZ, LSU AgCenter

ST. GABRIEL — After four months of grinding, it appears the 2020-2021 sugar cane crop will set a record.
“We’re going to produce almost 2 million tons of sugar. That’s a record for Louisiana,” said Kenneth Gravois, LSU AgCenter sugar cane specialist.
Harvest started in September and continued for almost 125 consecutive days in some areas, with a few days off because of hurricanes. Gravois said the lengthy harvest indicates farmers and mills did well.
“That’s a good problem. That means we had a big crop,” Gravois said.
He noted some delays occurred because of hurricanes and problems with getting imported labor into the United States.
He said sugar recovery probably will average 232 pounds per ton of cane. But the sugar per acre, 8,350 pounds, is an excellent outcome. “That’s a top three crop for Louisiana.”
Gravois said dry weather set up good conditions for planting, and most of the 2020 planting was complete when Hurricane Laura hit in August.
While hurricanes knocked cane down, the major variety L 01-299 is easier to harvest when lodged, he said.
The state’s 496,300 acres in 2020 will probably exceed 500,000 in 2021, he said, with expansion in the northern and western parts of the cane-growing region. Acreage has decreased in some areas such as Lafayette, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes along with some of the River Parishes, he said, but those reductions have been offset by increases in Rapides, Avoyelles, St. Landry and Vermilion parishes.
Gravois said more than a fifth of this year’s crop was third-year stubble or older, and that’s largely because of the variety L 01-299.
Gravois said all mills have ended their grinding season except the Louisiana Sugarcane Cooperative mill in St. Martinville, which is expected to shut down for the season by week’s end.
Mark Carriere, LSU AgCenter agent in Pointe Coupee and Iberville parishes, said farmers were pleased in his area after they finished harvest in early January, and they were grateful the crop didn’t encounter any early freezes.
“It’s not a record-breaking year for them but it’s right up there,” Carriere said.
He said the Alma Mill reported almost 36 tons of cane per acre that produced more than 250 pounds of sugar per ton of cane, with 9,018 pounds of sugar per acre.
He said fields were dry until the last part of the harvest, meaning minimal rutting occurred. “That will help for next year’s yield.”
Planting went well, he said, and farmers finished on schedule. Billet planting is on the increase, he said.
Pointe Coupee Parish led the state in 2020 with 66,650 acres of cane, and Carriere expects that number to increase.
“We’ll have to see what happens with soybean prices,” he said.
Stuart Gauthier, LSU AgCenter agent in St. Martin Parish, said farmers in the area are pleased with results from 2020.
“For a lot of our farmers, it will be one of the better years,” Gauthier said.
He said tonnage in the St. Martin Parish area probably averaged 34 to 36 tons per acre, and the average yield is around 220 pounds of sugar per ton of cane.
Gauthier said the LASUCA mill is expanding, and that will probably result in a shorter grinding season next year. “From a few years ago, they have almost doubled capacity.”
Gauthier said weather, with the exception of tropical systems, cooperated.
“We were fortunate, considering everything we went through this year,” he said. “It’s been pretty unremarkable in terms of freezing.”
Blair Hebert, LSU AgCenter agent in Iberia Parish, said this crop surpassed the 2019 crop. There were losses in areas along the coast from storm damage, he said, but most farmers are pleased with their outcome.
“We had respectable sugar and tonnage,” Hebert said, adding that he was surprised by the results after the crop went through several storms. “This crop has certainly surpassed the yields that I thought it would make after the tropical weather.”
But he said he’s sure the result would have been better if not for the hurricanes.
Hebert said the long grinding season has been a challenge for the industry.
“One hundred and twenty days of wear and tear on you is physically and emotionally difficult. You cannot say enough about the resilience of our local sugar cane farmers,” Hebert said.
Al Orgeron, LSU AgCenter sugar cane pest specialist, said the crop in the River Parishes and in the Houma-Thibodaux area did well. He said one farmer told him the yield on one field increased by 15 tons per acre compared to 2019.
Orgeron said the hurricanes had minimal impact on the area’s crop, and only caused a few days’ delay.
“Grinding went on without a hitch,” Orgeron said. “All in all, I think the season is one for the record book. Not a record crop, but really a top three crop.”
He said planting was accomplished within 20 to 25 days. “This is probably the quickest planting some of these guys ever had.”