By Scout Nelson
Sugar production in the United States has seen major shifts since 1997, with increased output and fewer farms. In 1997, there were over 8,100 sugarbeet and sugarcane farms. By 2022, that number had dropped to just over 4,000, a decline of more than 50 percent. Still, total domestic sugar production rose from 8.02 million to 9.31 million short tons raw value (STRV), a 16 percent increase.
As originally reported in Southern Ag Today, Sugarbeet farms dropped by 54 percent, and acreage shrank by 20 percent from 1.43 to 1.14 million acres. However, sugar production rose by 18 percent. In 1997, farms averaged 203 acres producing 622 STRV. By 2022, they averaged 350 acres producing 1,593 STRV—boosting efficiency by 49 percent. This jump in productivity is largely due to genetically modified sugarbeets, adopted in 2009.
Sugarbeets are grown in 11 states across four main regions, with the Upper Midwest leading in production. That region alone grew from contributing 42 percent of total output in 1997 to 53 percent by 2022. Michigan, for example, saw fewer farms but harvested more sugarbeets than in previous years.
Sugarcane farms also declined by 31 percent between 1997 and 2022. Yet sugarcane acreage slightly rose, and sugar production increased by 11 percent. Average farm size grew from 825 to 1,226 acres, with a 9 percent increase in efficiency.
While Hawaii and Texas ended sugarcane production due to high costs and water shortages, Louisiana and Florida expanded. Florida saw more farms but smaller in size, while Louisiana farms grew larger. In both states, improved varieties and harvesting methods drove the expansion.
Southern Ag Today is a group of 13 Southern Land Grant University Extension Programs in collaboration with the Southern Extension Economics Committee, the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M, and the Southern Risk Management Education Center at the University of Arkansas.
Photo Credit:gettyimages-luiscarlosjimenezi
Categories: Minnesota, General