Mississippi State University Sugarcane Research
Each fall, Research Associate Scott Langlois and his team harvest a small sugarcane crop at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station’s South Mississippi Branch. This harvest continues a 40-year-old agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sell seed cane to both new and current growers, and the seed cane always sells out.
Historical Background
The Poplarville station has a long history of sugarcane production and research, dating back to 1925. During the 1920s and 1930s, the station conducted extensive sugarcane trial research when 87% of Mississippi’s population were farmers.
In 1938, the USDA established the Sugar Crops Field Station in Meridian to serve as the state's central hub for sugarcane research. Staff there worked cooperatively with MAFES scientists until the Meridian station closed in 1983.
Transition and Continued Research
After the closure of the Meridian facility, the university agreed to plant three high-performing syrup cane varieties along with an heirloom chewing cane variety at the MAFES Beaumont station in Perry County.
“When I came to Poplarville in 1989, it was being grown and distributed to farmers,” said retired station Superintendent Ned Edwards.
Author’s summary: MSU’s South Mississippi Branch continues a legacy of sugarcane research and seed distribution rooted in nearly a century of collaboration and innovation, sustaining Mississippi’s agricultural traditions.