RGV sugar growers: Our main concern now is finding work for our employees

SANTA ROSA, TEXAS – The top priority now Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc., has decided to end its harvesting and milling operations is to find new jobs for the hundreds of workers it employs.

In an in-depth interview with Ron Whitlock Reports, Sean Brashear, president and CEO of the group, spoke about the anguish its board of directors faced in taking its decision.

“Obviously, this was a difficult decision for the growers and the board members. They are heartbroken about this. They really would have liked to see this continue on for future generations,” Brashear said. 

“But, we’re now concerned about our employees. We employ a lot of people here. Approximately 200 full-time employees plus about 250 to 300 seasonal employees that we need for harvesting and truck driving and general laboring during the grinding season.” 

Brashear said the employees would be kept on until the end of April.

“Of course, we’re going to continue to try to get these guys, these employees, jobs immediately. I don’t want to wait ’till the end of April. I want to make sure they are able to go from from one one job to the next. That’s that’s my biggest concern, the biggest priority we face right now,” Brashear said.

“We’re trying to do the best thing we can for our employees. We’ve been actively searching possible leads to place these guys so they have a somewhat seamless transition. A lot of these people have worked here for 20, 30, 40 years. And so it really hurts us. We’ve created these relationships with all these employees over the years. We know their families, their children. It’s such a tight knit community that it was very difficult to have to come to this decision.”

Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers’ Santa Rosa facility is the last remaining sugar mill operating in Texas. It leaves only Louisiana and Florida as sugar-producing states in the U.S.

Brashear said there could be an opportunity for some of his employees to stay in the industry they know, if they are willing to move to Louisiana and Florida.

“We are trying to get these guys new jobs locally, if that’s where they want to go. There are also opportunities in other sugar industries such as Louisiana and Florida. I’m going to share with them anything I can so that we can try to do what’s best for them, their family and their future,” Brashear said. 

“Our utmost concern right now is trying to place these skilled workers. We have a lot of skilled tradesmen from machinists, instrument techs, electricians, mechanics, welders. You have the sugar boilers, the pen operators. These are these are the type of skill sets that can’t be just taught at the local technical college, unfortunately.

“So we’ve actually gotten a lot of support and contact with our counterparts in Louisiana and Florida in search of some of these individuals with these skill sets. So I’m hoping that they might consider relocation. I know it’s difficult for these employees and their families to think about that right now. But it is an opportunity that I have been approached with. So I’m going to convey anything I can, any opportunities, any leads to our employees, and, of course, work with any potential employers within the bounds.”

Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc., has been continuously growing and processing sugar cane into raw sugar in the Valley since 1973. In his interview with Ron Whitlock Reports, Brashear confirmed that the reason the group is closing its doors is because of a lack of irrigation water. This, he said, has been caused by the ongoing drought and Mexico’s failure to send water down the Rio Grande.

But, Brashear acknowledged, the struggle to find enough irrigation water has been going on for the past quarter of a center, with some years harder than others.

“It’s been a struggle for at least 25 years. I started here in 2003 but I know we had some difficulties in the late 1990s. Back then we reached the lowest production throughput, up until the last couple of years. It was in the realm of 800,000 tons of sugar cane. The year we have just finished, we had right around 400,000 tons. The year before that we were at 758,000 tons. So, those are the three lowest points in our history and it was all because of the lack of irrigation water.”

In addition to finding work for its employees, Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc., is also going to be selling its machinery. In fact, Brashear said, this is a good time to sell because the price of sugar is high right now.

“We have a lot of rolling stock. We have a lot of equipment. Since our press release went out yesterday, I’ve received multiple phone calls from my counterparts in Louisiana and Florida who are interested in some of the equipment. So that will kind of make the process a little bit easier, knowing that there is a demand,” Brashear said.

“We feel that there is a demand for this equipment and also the equipment within the factory, in the production facility, just because the price of sugar is favorable right now. And most of the sugar cane industry in Louisiana and Florida is actually expanding. So it’s good for them. We feel that we can liquidate the plant and sell off the assets.”

Asked about the economic impact of the sugar cane industry in the Valley, Brashear pointed a study completed two years ago by Texas A&M AgriLife in Weslaco.

“We had upwards of $100 million annual budgets, and so closing our operations is going to be quite devastating for our vendors, our employees and the growers,” Brashear said. 

He said about 100 local growers have been utilizing about 40,000 acres at times to grow the sugar cane. 

“We regret the impact our closure will have on communities across the Valley, especially those closest to the mill, La Villa, Santa Rosa, and Edcouch.”

In a press release, Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc., hit out at Mexico for its failure to pay a water debt to the United States.

“For over 30 years, farmers in South Texas have been battling with Mexico’s failure to comply with the provisions of the 1944 Water Treaty between the U.S. and Mexico that governs water sharing between the two nations on the Colorado River and the Lower Rio Grande.

“For over 25 years, the U.S. State Department’s unwillingness to prioritize the citizens and agricultural producers of South Texas has led to numerous water shortages in our area. Despite the valiant efforts of the U.S. Section of the International Boundary & Water Commission, led by Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner fighting for South Texas farmers and ranchers, without the U.S. State Department’s support, all attempts to negotiate timely water releases from Mexico have failed,” the press release stated.

For the harvesting and milling to have continued seamlessly, Mexico would have had to release water in the fall of 2023, Brashear said. 

“That is generally the time when we plant new fresh cane for the upcoming crop. We’ve been farming and harvesting the same cane that’s been declining in yield, obviously, over the years. We desperately needed some new fresh sugar cane planted in order to boost our yields and become more efficient but without the water release there was no way to move forward.”

Sean Brashear

Brashear said Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc., would like to thank the members of Congress that tried to get Mexico to repay its water debt under a 1944 water sharing treaty. He also said thanks must go to the head of the U.S. section of the binational International Boundary and Water Commission, Maria-Elena Giner.

“Commissioner Giner has a very difficult job. I reached out to her, probably last February, and invited her to come down here to visit the mill and meet the employees. If you have never driven up on this factory, it is an impressive sight to see. I think we sell ourself short just talking about it. You have to see it,” Brashear said.

“I really wanted Commissioner Giner to see the plant for herself and so she agreed to come down here. We had some very good conversations about everything and she was able to explain to us her strategies moving forward to get some water for the farmers. I feel she has done a great job representing us and doing what she can. But, unfortunately, you’re dealing with another country and we feel we just did not have enough support from the State Department to push Mexico to get those releases.”

Brashear said he has been visiting Washington, D.C, every year for the past 12 years to highlight the plight of the Valley’s sugar growers. “We have made visits, we have written letters, but, unfortunately, it just fell on deaf ears.”

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