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NEW IBERIA — In his 33 years of farming sugarcane, Ricky Gonsoulin had never had as good of a crop as the one he saw growing in his fields in 2022. And in 33 years, he had never lost so much as a stalk of sugarcane to a freeze.
But that unlikely scenario came to pass in late December when an arctic blast sent temperatures below freezing for three days across Louisiana. At his farm near New Iberia, Gonsoulin spent Christmas waiting for his cane to thaw so he could survey the damage and get back to work harvesting whatever remained.
In his fields, he discovered browned cane that had begun to ferment — jeopardizing what should have been a record amount of sugar to be extracted at the mill.
“Before Christmas, this farm was averaging around 231 CRS per acre,” Gonsoulin said, referring to commercial recoverable sucrose, a measure of sugar produced per ton of cane. “Right now? 170 to 175.”
The weather was unkind to nearly every crop grown in Louisiana in 2022; excessive rainfall bookended by droughty periods cut into yields and profits. Despite the recent hard freeze, sugarcane has been a bright spot in the state’s agriculture sector. The cane belt grew to an all-time high of nearly 500,000 acres, and as of Jan. 7, the Louisiana sugar industry surpassed a record for total sugar production that was set in 2021.
“It was a year of dreams,” Gonsoulin said.
But for farmers like Gonsoulin who still had cane in the field when the freeze hit, the full potential of the 2022 season may not be realized. Gonsoulin is now worried about warmer temperatures souring his damaged cane as he hurries to finish up what has already been a lengthy harvest season.
Farmers like to complete harvest within about 100 days. Gonsoulin, who started harvesting in mid-September, had reached the 120-day mark and still had 20% of his acreage left to cut at the end of the first week of January.
“We knew we had a big crop coming in,” said Blair Hebert, an area sugarcane agent with the LSU AgCenter. “We had a lot of acres. We had a good crop. So we knew it wasn’t going to be a 100-day harvest.”
Recent rainfall has compounded farmers’ headaches. Muddy conditions are making it harder to get the last of the crop out of the field — and the clock is ticking for producers to cut cane and haul it to one of the handful of Louisiana’s 11 sugar mills that haven’t closed for the season yet.
“That last bit of cane is being ground by fewer mills,” said AgCenter sugarcane specialist Kenneth Gravois. “What’s remaining out there is probably 10% to 15% of people’s estimated crop. With cold weather, there’s deterioration. And so with more impurities in the mill, it slows the grinding rate down.”
Mills — which already had a busy grinding season as they processed a larger-than-ever crop — are having to do extra work due to the quality of sugarcane they’re receiving. The freeze-damaged crop has two to three times the usual amount of molasses, which makes it harder to make sugar, Gravois said. The juice of deteriorating cane also tends to have a lower pH — an indicator of a polysaccharide that makes processing more difficult and for which farmers are penalized.
“It’s very emotional out there,” Gravois said. “It’s people’s livelihoods.”
In Iberia Parish, where Hebert is based, “just about everybody is associated one way or another with the sugarcane crop.”
“If we’re speaking honestly,” Hebert said, “there’s some high emotions, some high stress levels. But I think everybody is aware that we’ve got to work together, and we’re going to do everything we can to support everyone.”
He noted the resiliency of the industry, which has endured hurricanes and many other challenges over the years.
While the situation is evolving day by day, Gravois remains optimistic.
“When you look at sugarcane yields per acre, they’re still going to be good for the season,” he said. “They’re not going to be as high as they could have been, but prices are still decent. So it’s going to be a crop that’s not as good as it could have been, but it’s still a good crop.”
Gonsoulin too is trying to stay hopeful.
“It’s going to be a test for the industry,” he said. “Everybody is looking at what’s going on and learning from what’s happening. If we’re successful in grinding this crop, it’s going to be a learning lesson, and we’ll be able to improve our varieties moving forward, improve our milling processes.”

There will not be two ambulance services in Vermilion Parish.
The police jury voted 7-4 to deny Global Medical Response from locating in the parish.
Jurors voting not to let Global Medical Response (Med Express) into Vermilion were Ronald Darby, Liz Touchet, Mark Poché, Chad Lege, Chad Vallo, Scott Broussard and Dexter Callahan.
Dane Hebert, Brent Landry, Errol Domingues and Ronald Menard voted to allow Global Medical Response into the parish.
Police Jury President Jason Picard abstained from voting. Jurors Sandrus Stelly and Paul Bourgeois were not at the meeting.
Global Medical Response and Acadian Ambulance had representatives speak to the jurors before they voted. On rep tried to convince the jurors that another ambulance service was needed, while the other said one is not needed in the parish.
Cory Miller, a spokesman for Global Medical Response, told the jurors that Acadian Ambulance has one ambulance in the parish for every 15,000 people. On weekends and nights, it’s one ambulance for every 30,000 people.
Miller said that allowing another ambulance company into the parish would mean there would be one ambulance for every 8,400 people in the parish. At night, it would be reduced to one ambulance for every 1,100 people.
After Miller spoke, Vermilion Parish residents voiced their opinion on why another ambulance service is needed in the parish.
Chris Abshire, a parish resident, told the jurors more than one ambulance service is needed.
Members of the Abbeville Fire Department tried to convince the jurors to allow another ambulance service into the parish. Assistant Fire Chief Kelly Mire and Captain April Bodin complained to jurors about the response time of Acadian Ambulance.
“It is past time to help the citizens in Vermilion Parish and do what is right,” said Mire.
Bodin told the jurors that Acadian Ambulance’s times are “unacceptable.” She said there are times when the fire department has to wait 30 minutes before an ambulance arrives at a scene.
The Police Jury created an ordinance that an ambulance service company has to respond to all calls in a certain amount of time, 80 percent of the time.
So, in Abbeville, Acadian Ambulance has eight minutes to get to a scene after getting the call from 911. The further out of Abbevile the 911 call is, the more minutes are added to the arrival time.
Marc Creswell, an Abbeville native, was the spokesman for Acadian Ambulance.
Creswell told the jurors that over a five-year period, Acadian Ambulance had handled 35,280 calls in the parish and his company has yet to get a complaint about the response time in the parish.
Over the last five years, Acadian Ambulance has met or exceeded their arrival times by 80 percent or more, Creswell told the jurors.
“We can say everything we want that competition is good,” said Creswell. “The one thing we can say is that Acadian has been here for you guys through thick and thin.”
After the meeting, some jurors were surprised by the complaint from the Abbeville firefighters.
Before Wednesday night, the jurors said no firemen had ever complained to the police jury about the response time of Acadian Ambulance.
Domingues, a juror from Erath, said it might be time the jury looks into shortening the response times of Acadian Ambulance throughout the parish.

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, January 14, 2023, at a 12:30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, honoring the life of Clifton Alfred Broussard, Sr., 85, who died Saturday, January 7, 2023, at home, surrounded by his children.
He will be laid to rest at St. Paul Cemetery, with the Reverend Chester Arceneaux and con celebrant, Fr. François Sainte-Marie, officiating the services. 
He accepted Christ at an early age, and dedicated his life, to serving God. He was a 3rd Degree and 4th Degree Knight, with both the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of Peter Claver. He served as the Grand Knight for the Knights of Columbus, where he received the Knight of the Year Award. He also served as their State Treasurer. He received the Dr. Martin Luther King Award twice, for St. Theresa/Abbeville, for Outstanding Service To Church and Community. Until his illness, he faithfully remained the Treasurer of the Knights of Peter Claver. He received numerous awards from St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, for his years of dedication and service.
He leaves to morn, but to cherish his fond memories, five sons, Darrell Paul Broussard of Lafayette, Louisiana; Kevin Broussard of Kaplan, Louisiana; Clifton Broussard, Jr. (Marilyn) of Kinston, North Carolina; Dexter Broussard of Lafayette, Louisiana; and Marcus Broussard of Dallas, Texas; five daughters, Tonia Francis (John) of Lafayette, Louisiana; Pamela Derouen (Nathan) of Delcambre, Louisiana; Phyllis Vallian (Gil) of New Iberia, Louisiana; Anita Broussard Levy of Abbeville, Louisiana; and Erica James of New Orleans, Louisiana; two sisters, Rose Broussard of Rayne, Louisiana; and Agnes (Eugene) Benjamin of Lafayette, Louisiana; four sisters-in-law, and six brothers-in-law; twenty-seven grandchildren; numerous great-children; and a hosts of nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his loving wife of over 56 years, Carroll Ann O’Brien Broussard; his parents Charlie and Ann Joseph Broussard; his brothers, Clopha Broussard and Sidney Broussard; his sisters, Nettie B. Ozone and Mary Louise Stevens; his father and mother-in-law, Rayward and Berneda Hardy O’Brien; his sisters-in-law, Brenda O. Shelvin and Lydia Bernard; his brothers-in-law, Neil O’Brien and Danny O’Brien; his son-in-law, Donald Ray Levy, Sr.; his daughter-in-law, Juanita Broussard; his grandson, Darrell Broussard, Jr. (Pee-Wee); his nieces, Kimberly O’Brien and Barbara Ozone; and his nephews, Patrick and Johnny Sinegal.
The family request that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home, 209 S. Charles Street, Abbeville, Louisiana, from 8:30 a.m. until 12 p.m., when the procession will depart for the church. A rosary will be prayed at 10 a.m.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

On Wednesday, the Vermilion Parish police jurors are expected to hear a presentation from Acadia Ambulance and Global Medical Response on whether there is a need for two ambulance services in the parish.
The two will speak at a “Need and Necessity” hearing at Wednesday’s 911 Committee Meeting in the Police Jury Meeting Room. It will begin at 5:30 p.m. The meeting room is located on the second floor the Vermilion Parish Courthouse.
The public is invited to attend the meeting.
A representative from Global Medical will tell the jurors why there is a need for another ambulance service. A representative from Acadian Ambulance will speak second and explain why there is no need for two ambulance services.
The members of the 911 committee will then vote to recommend or not recommend another ambulance service in the parish.
On Oct. 19, the police jury’s General Needs Committee voted to rescind Acadian Ambulance’s exclusive contract after Global Medical Response applied to provide ambulance service to the parish.
After that occurred, Police Jury attorney Paul Moresi III notified Acadian Ambulance that Global Medical Response applied to service Vermilion Parish.
According to the parish ordinance regarding ambulance service, “any existing ambulance service permit holder will be given notice of any application for a certificate of need and necessity and will have 30 working days from the date of notice to respond in writing to oppose, object to or request modification of the application and to state whether the application, if granted, would negatively affect the ability of any existing ambulance service permit holder to continue providing services.”
Global Medical Response is pushing to share Vermilion Parish with Acadian Ambulance. The two ambulance services are in Acadia Parish.
In the last six months, representatives from Global Medical Response have been attending council meetings in Vermilion Parish, letting the council and mayors know the company’s plans in the parish.
Global Medical Response employs 39,000 throughout the world. The company has 8,100 ground vehicles, 375 helicopters, 132 fixed-wing aircraft, and 158 fire vehicles.
On the other hand, Acadian Ambulance has been in the parish and south Louisiana since the 1970s and has 500 ambulances. Acadian Ambulance began its flight service in 1981.
Today, the ambulance service, housed in Lafayette, operates in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Tennessee.
Acadian Ambulance making presentations on why there should be only one ambulance provider is nothing new.
In 2021, Paul Fuselier, the Acadian Ambulance manager in Alexandria, presented to the Alexandria City Council, asking why the city council wanted to change Ambulance providers.
“What it felt like to me being here for 28 years was that the rug was being pulled out from under us, and we did nothing wrong,” said Paul Fuselier at the meeting two years ago. “I would completely understand if we were having complaints about response times and poor qualities of service, but here we are entertaining changing the process that has worked for over 28 years.”
However, he argued that adding EMS competition could hurt a patient’s outcome with different services fighting over which one will provide the care during a medical emergency.
“You’ll end up with something called rotating calls,” said Fuselier at the meeting in 2021. “Rotating calls doesn’t guarantee you the closest ambulance. Instead, it gets you the next one on the list.”