We spent all summer navigating through the endless seas of corn fields in Midwest and the northern tier of states. Scenes like this below seemed to go on forever.
Now we find ourselves amongst field after field of sugar cane. Looking very similar to the corn, just a little taller and of course, no tassels.
On some days, the sky can be filled with smoke and burnt pieces of sugar cane plants. It is usually not a bother unless the wind is a bit stiff. We’ll be getting into the burning season in a month or so, but there are a few smoke plumes visible every few days now.
We’d seen this burning in Hawaii and assumed that the process was a clean up procedure following the cutting. It turns out that when the cane is to be harvested by hand, which most is, the fields are burned in order to remove the dead leaves and drive away any dangerous snakes. Since there are no snakes in Hawaii, that part of the equation is missing there.
The cane must be processed relatively quickly after harvest; therefore: sugar mills are distributed throughout the growing area. This one is located near us, a few miles north of Weslaco, TX . Click on the photo to get a view of the entire plant.
Click here to find more information about the history and processing of Sugar Cane.