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Florida Sugar Cane Industry

  Clewiston is located in the heart of the Florida sugar cane industry which is the largest producer of raw sugar in the United States. Sugar production provides economic stability to many communities around Lake Okeechobee by employing many people and generating approximately $2 billion in economic activity.
  Sugarcane planting starts in August and continues through January. The crop is ready for harvest in 12 to 18 months and each planting produces four or more annual crops. The sugar cane is harvested mechanically after controlled burning, which is permitted and regulated by a Florida Division of Forestry program.
  The sugar industry conducts environmental research and monitoring in order to ensure the continued good quality of both air and water in south Florida.  The area sugar mills produce raw sugar and two major by-products, black strap molasses and bagasse. Molasses is used as cattle feed and as a base for producing fermentation alcohol.
  Bagasse, the fibrous residue after the juice is extracted from the sugarcane, serves as a major energy source. Furfural, and aldehyde extracted from bagasse, is used in lubricant, paint, and plastic formulation. Bagasse can also be used as cattle feed.
  Raw sugar is shipped to two local refineries and also shipped by rail and barge to out-of-state locations where it is refined into numerous products.
  At only 16 calories per teaspoon, sugar is an efficient source of energy and an important part of the diet.
  Clewiston is home to the employee-owned U.S. Sugar Corporation, one of the oldest and largest sugar companies in the United States.

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