U. S. sugar outlook

Each year, sugarcane-related presentations are given by scientists, extension agents, and representatives of the sugar industry at various meetings and field days. One such meeting was held recently under the auspices of the American Sugar Cane League (ASCL) contact committee. Representatives of the U.S. sugar industry (beets and cane) from Washington D.C. were present. Among the presentations that were given at this meeting, perhaps the one that would be of greatest interest to a general audience was the one entitled "U. S. Sugar Outlook" by Jack Roney of the American Sugar Alliance. His PowerPoint presentation illustrates quite comprehensively what the status of the sugar industry is in the U. S. Jack also addressed why he is cautiously optimistic about the industry's future.

Friends from Provo staying in Houma

We got a surprise call, and learned that Lynn & Laurel Odgen and some BYU students were in Houma, staying at the home of Mike & Sarah Voisin. They were in our church ward in Provo, so we knew them quite well. They were attending a food convention/conference in New Orleans, and had the opportunity afterward to visit the oyster processing plant in Houma that Mike and his family run. The Voisins have developed a unique method of processing oysters that give them a distinctive competitive edge, so Lynn apparently wanted his students to see this. Lynn is a professor in the Food Science Department at BYU. His claim to fame is that he developed and perfected carbonated yogurt. His product used to sell off the shelves at the BYU Creamery on Campus. Through much effort on his part, and with support from BYU, his product was picked up by Yoplait, and today sells as "Fizzix." Lynn said the 3rd quarter information is coming in from Yoplait, so they will have a decent feel as to how well the product is selling after that. We told them we have become hooked on Fizzix. I only wish it could be packaged more similar to the product we used to buy at the BYU Creamery. Lynn and Laurel came over and filled us in on happenings in our old ward and on where their kids are at. I forgot that they had so many children. I remember their daughter Lena & her husband being in our ward, before we left. Their kids are scattered, just like ours are. It was fun to see the Ogdens, and we're glad they called us so we could connect.

Truvia, the latest non-nutritive sweetener

Mirror, mirror on the wall, what is the best non-nutritive sweetener of all??? Cargill and Coca Cola would like you to think it is rebiana, a "natural" zero-calorie sweetener derived from the leaves of the stevia plant. They jointly developed the product that will go on the market this year under the brand name, Truvia.

First, there was saccharin; then aspartame (Brand name: Nutrasweet); then sucralose (Brand name: Splenda); now rebiana (Brand name: Truvia), a term used for "the best-tasting components of the stevia plant." In May, Cargill introduced Truvia as the first natural, zero-calorie sweetener. Truvia apparently does not have an unpleasant aftertaste often associated with non-nutritient sweeteners.

Quoting an article in "Beverage Industry," stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is a plant related to chrysanthemum that is native to Paraguay, but commercially grown today primarily in China. Leaves from the stevia shrub are harvested and dried, then steeped in water in a process similar to making tea. The process releases the 'best tasting part of the leaf,' which is then purified to make a food grade ingredient called rebiana, which is about 200 times sweeter than table sugar. The natural sweetener is heat and pH stable, so that it can be used across an array of beverage and food products.

Biofuel Industry Development Initiative signed into law in Louisiana

Yesterday, Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law the Advanced Biofuel Industry Development Initiative, the most comprehensive and far-reaching state legislation in the nation enacted to develop a statewide advanced biofuel industry. Louisiana is the first state to enact alternative transportation fuel legislation that includes a variable blending pump pilot program and a hydrous ethanol pilot program.

The legislature found that the proper development of an advanced biofuel industry in Louisiana requires implementation of the following comprehensive “field-to-pump” strategy developed by Renergie, Inc.:

(1) Feedstock Other Than Corn
(a) derived solely from Louisiana harvested crops;
(b) capable of an annual yield of at least 600 gallons of ethanol per acre;
(c) requiring no more than one-half of the water required to grow corn;
(d) tolerant to high temperature and waterlogging;
(e) resistant to drought and saline-alkaline soils;
(f) capable of being grown in marginal soils, ranging from heavy clay to light sand;
(g) requiring no more than one-third of the nitrogen required to grow corn, thereby reducing the risk of
contamination of the waters of the state; and
(h) requiring no more than one-half of the energy necessary to convert corn into ethanol.

The legislature calls for a decentralized network of small biofuel manufacturing facilities each capable of producing 5 - 15 million gallons of biofuel per year. Variable blending pumps, directly installed and operated at local gas stations must offer the consumer a less expensive substitute for unleaded gasoline in the form of E10, E20, E30 and E85.

It is not entirely clear what crop this legislature was tailored for. Some believe it was tailored for sweet sorghum, considering that Renergie, Inc. was involved in developing the language. Sugarcane certainly should meet most if not all of the criteria listed above. Both are more energy efficient than corn, and neither has the same food-vs-fuel stigma that corn has.

U. S. Sugar Corp going out of business

Shocking news, U.S. Sugar Corp, the nation's largest producer of cane sugar, will go out of business in a $1.75 billion deal to sell its nearly 300 square miles of land to Florida for Everglades restoration. Once the deal is in place, U.S. Sugar would be allowed to farm the 187,000 acres of land for six more years before closing its doors. This area represents nearly half of the 400,000+ acres that sugarcane is grown on in Florida, the state that produces the largest amount of sugar from sugarcane. U.S. Sugar Corp employs about 1,700 people. Florida's Governor, Charlie Crist, said the deal is “as monumental as the creation of our nation's first national park, Yellowstone.” Perhaps that's a stretch, but those who have been fighting against sugar interests in an effort to protect the Everglades are surely celebrating this announcement, as part of the deal is to return the land as closely as possible to its pre-agricultural condition. Unless there are plans to grow sugarcane elsewhere in Florida, which I very much doubt, Louisiana will likely surpass Florida as the leading sugar producing state (from sugarcane) in the USA, that is, unless Louisana farmers start phasing out of sugar as well. Other crops that may not grow as well as sugarcane in Louisiana’s cane belt are starting to look increasingly lucrative at this juncture, so anything could happen between now and six years from now.

Clewiston, Florida (where U.S. Sugar Corp is headquartered) may have to re-think its title, “America's Sweetest Town."

Tribute to my brother, Burton Tew Jr.

I just got back from a four-day business trip to Orlando, Florida, and not more than an hour or so after returning, my brother, Burton called from his home in West Valley City, Utah, to relate to me that he had passed an important milestone. He reached his 80th birthday on June 5. It seems rather strange to think that I have a brother who is 80 years old. At any rate, there was a nice get together to recognize his achievement at which around 160 people showed up. Several others sent e-mails, congratulating him. I suppose his call to me was a gentle reminder that I overlooked the event. Honestly, I really should have e-mailed him when he passed the mark, and feel badly that I didn't. In picture: Burton (left), Louise (center).

Burton has lived a most fascinating life, and is widely respected for his breadth of knowledge. He has been invited to speak at an array of forums on an incredibly wide range of topics. By training, he is a chemical engineer, but he can hold his own on topics that reach far beyond the realm of his formal training. It helps that he was born with a photographic memory. Burton has a great sense of humor, and the jokes in his memory bank that he can draw on is truly amazing. My personal favorite, is Rindercella, which he can still do on call, and every bit as funny as Archie Campbell's version. He and his sweetheart, Louise, raised six children, Leah, Patricia, Cindy, Bart (deceased), David, and Ronald. They presently have a pretty sizeable group of grandchildren, and are now at the age where great-grandchildren are part of their lives. Burton served on a mission in England (1948-50) and later with Louise as a missionary couple in San Diego (1992-93). Dad lived to age 78, so Burton has now surpassed him. God willing, he will have a few more birthdays yet to come.

Tew Family Crest

Okay, I've given up on the idea of restricting my posts according to what day of the week it is. Bad idea. After all, this is just a blog, i.e., whatever is on my mind. Let's just say that on the whole, since I work from Monday through Friday, it's just more likely that I will be posting something work related. On Fridays and Saturdays, I have a greater interest in the culture around me. And on Sundays in particular, the focus will be more family/church oriented. Let's just leave it at that.

A long time ago, back when I was in college, I got the genealogy bug for a while. One of the projects I tackled was to create a Tew family crest based on a written description in a book about family crests, not based on any picture, per se. I thought I had long since lost the picture I had created, but it resurfaced the other day, so I scanned it.

Speaking of family names, I found a website that actually shows where each surname is most concentrated within in the United States. In the case of the name, Tew, the intermountain west and the southeast are where it is most concentrated. The states that light up the most are Utah, Alabama, and North Carolina.