The Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida dates began in the 1950s when 16 farmers met to discuss joining together with other farmers in the Glades Area, west of
West Palm Beach, Florida, and southeast of
Lake Okeechobee, to form a farming cooperative. In July 1960, 54 farmer-members chartered Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. Once formed, the Cooperative's immediate need was to build a processing facility and agricultural equipment to harvest the sugar cane grown by its members. The member-growers were assessed 30 cents per ton produced in 1960 to pay for the feasibility study to build their own sugar mill. In April 1961, the decision was made to build the mill, named Glades Sugar House. The mill opened on November 22, 1962, with the capacity to grind 6,000 tons of sugarcane per day. In 2005,
California and Hawaiian Sugar Company was acquired by
American Sugar Refining, a company owned by Florida Crystals and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. Florida Crystals is a privately held company that is part of
FLO-SUN, a sugar empire of the
Fanjul family. Glades Sugar House is one of the largest raw sugar mills in the world with the capacity to grind 26,000 tons of sugarcane per day. It operates 24-hours a day through the 150-day harvest season.
George H. Wedgworth George H. Wedgworth founded the Cooperative, and until his retirement in October 2013, served as
Chairman of the Board. He played a significant role in Florida agriculture, and Glades-area civic activities. Wedgworth was induction into Florida's Agricultural Hall of Fame, and named Community Leader of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches.
Environmental stewardship '' The farmer members of Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative stay abreast of technological advancements in order to maintain efficient farming operations. Working collaboratively with University of Florida scientists, farmers have pioneered best management practices to reduce nutrients leaving the farming region, but environmental advocates say that too much phosphorus still makes its way into environmentally sensitive estuarian ecosystems such as the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon. As part of the
Everglades Forever Act approved by the Florida Legislature in 1994, farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area are required to achieve 25 percent reduction in phosphorus in waters flowing off of farmland. Additionally, the Act provided for the construction of 40,000 acres of natural filter marshes that further reduce phosphorus in water flowing from farms, urbanized areas and Lake Okeechobee. The Act also imposed a regulatory framework that imposes a $25 per acre tax along with comprehensive water quality monitoring and reporting requirements. Farmers have exceeded the
phosphorus reduction requirements during each of the 16 years since the law took effect. However, Audubon of Florida argues this reduction standard was intentionally set too low, making it easier for the sugar industry and other growers to meet the annual requirement. == Sugarcane ==