US Sugar Corporation

The US Sugar Corporation is a large privately owned agricultural business based in Clewiston, Florida.[1] The company farms over 187,858 acres of land in the counties of Hendry, Glades and Palm Beach.[1] It is the largest producer of sugar cane in the United States, producing over 700,000 tonnes per year.[1] The company is also a large producer of refined sugar and oranges.[1]

Environment

On 24 June 2008, Florida's Governor, Charlie Crist, announced the state was in negotiations to buy 187,000 acres (760 km2) of land and all of its manufacturing and production facilities for an estimated $1.7 billion from the company as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.[2][3] Under the proposals, the company would continue to farm the land for the next six years and convert the land back to its original natural marshland state.[2] In November 2008, the agreement was revised to offer $1.34 billion, allowing sugar mills in Clewiston to remain in production.[4] Critics of the revised plan say that it ensures sugarcane will be grown in the Everglades for at least another decade.[5]

In October 2010 the company sold 26,800 acres of land to the South Florida Water Management District [6] for the "River of Grass" Restoration Project.[7]

In an effort to power its facilities with renewable resources, the U.S. Sugar Corporation began using resources such as sugar cane bagasse for its Breakthrough Project, in which Boiler 8 was built. Boiler 8 produces steam during the milling process by burning bagasse. Steam is co-generated into electricity on-site. In essence, each year’s cane crop provides power for both the sugar factory and U.S. Sugar’s refinery operations.[7]

US Sugar is exploring building a 100 million gallon per year cellulosic ethanol facility in Clewiston, Florida. The facility would convert leftover sugarcane material into ethanol and would help Florida meet its aggressive second-generation ethanol goals.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "U.S. Sugar Corp. (About)". U.S. Sugar Corp. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  2. 1 2 Schor, Elana (2008-06-24). "Florida to buy 187,000 farmland acres to preserve Everglades". Guardian. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  3. ↑ Damien Cave; John Holusha (2008-06-24). "Florida to Buy Sugar Maker in Bid to Restore Everglades". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  4. ↑ Cave, Damien (November 12, 2008). "Everglades Deal Shrinks to Sale of Land, Not Assets", The New York Times, p. 16.
  5. ↑ Bussey, Jane, Morgan, Curtis (November 16, 2008). "Land deal could lift U.S. Sugar's sagging fortunes: Is it a buyout or a bailout? Either way, a pending deal to sell land to the state for Everglades restoration could reverse Big Sugar's flagging finances", The Miami Herald (Florida).
  6. ↑ "U.S. Sugar Corp. (Company History)". U.S. Sugar Corp. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  7. 1 2 3 "U.S. Sugar Corp. (Environmental Stewardship)". U.S. Sugar Corp. Retrieved 2012-11-19.

External links

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