re: How's the South La sugar cane industry these days?

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And no, sugarcane and sugar beet farmers do not receive subsidies

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I work in the sugarcane business. And yes it is subsidized. The industry does the smoke and mirror thing that the gvt doesn’t spend any money on it. The reality is we are a net importer of sugar so tariffs in the range of 3x world market prices are placed on imports which Artificially drive up US sugar prices to consumers. So instead of tax payers sending the money to the farmers if directky from the consumer. It all works because it controlled by a handful of players in the US and the processors are making barrels of money

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stewie

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Cut me off a piece of that suga cane, baw

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I can't imagine how much the big time operations like the Dudas and Wedgeworths made.

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The Duda’s print money. Not just from sugar but ag in general.

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So you are OK with throwing American farm jobs under the bus infavor of heavily subsidized foreign sugar industries?

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First, I'm not just picking on the sugar industry or agriculture. I'm for cutting all forms of subsidies, government protections, corporate welfare - whatever label you want to put on it. I philosophically don't support the government deciding that industry A deserves to be helped but not industries B, C, or D.

The progression of economies is to grow from ones that are agrarian based to those that are more industrialized to now those that are service and technology based. Government intervention, however well-intentioned it may be, diverts resources and slows that progression. Countries that are directly subsidizing their agricultural exports have made their decision and I believe will continue to fall behind economically as a result. Why would the U.S. (as a whole) not take advantage of that and continue to develop a more STEM focused workforce/economy?

I realize that this is all very personal to you and I don't want you to think I'm trying to downplay that. I'm sure I would have different feelings about it if I were vested in it as you are.

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I know some Patouts

They arent hurting

They all drive platinum f250s and have 30 ft Contenders

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Yea but they’ve been growing sugarcane here for over 200 years, own a bunch of land, have a planting and harvesting operation and own a couple mills

I'm not a fan of subsidies at all either but you are crazy if you want this country to be reliant on other countries for our food.

It would make the oil wars look like kittens play and is beyond stupid.

Brummy, it’s all good.

Doesn’t matter if it’s the can industry, the steel industry, or bio medical industry, I’d rather not lose a viable American industry because a foreign country decided to prey on it and our country sat idly by.

Additionally, the savings wouldn’t be passed on to the consumer. Confectioners would keep that as profit. Had one say it to my face a few years ago.

Compared to the loaned amount, the government essentially buys sugar cane from farmers at a loss right?