Opinion/Editorial: Can Texas become an ethanol powerhouse?

Star Telegram (Fort Worth, TX)
Posted Sunday, Sep. 13, 2009

Texas has a long history of sugar production, dating to 1820, using sugar cane. This was mostly in coastal areas and river valleys. By 1850, some 11 million pounds of refined sugar were being produced.

By 1950, the crops had shifted from cane to milo/sorghum and sugar beets. West Texas became a large producer of these beets, especially after the embargo against Cuban sugar in the early 1960s. The first refinery opened in 1964 in Hereford, and some 500,000 tons of sugar beets were produced that year.

Read the full opinion/editorial