Deep Roots and Sweet Cane

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Sugar cane production is a vital part of the history and economy of South Louisiana. Sugar cane has been grown in Louisiana since its introduction by Jesuit priests in the mid-eighteenth century. Étienne deBoré introduced a variety of cane, which grew better in Louisiana in 1794. Norbert Rillieux refined the method of making granulated sugar, making the process less labor-intensive and more efficient. These developments in the rich history of sugar cane farming and production provide insight into the history of Domingues Farms, which has been growing cane for over one hundred years.

By the twentieth century, the Domingues family had established themselves in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, where their family ancestor, Felicien, initially farmed land after the Civil War. Felicien was a descendant of Louisiana Isleños who trace their ancestry back to the Canary Islands. Felicien's grandson, Reista Domingues, began farming sugar cane in Erath in 1918. According to the Vermilion Parish Clerk of Court, Domingues Farms was officially founded in 1919. Today, Reista's descendants continue to operate Domingues Farms. They include Reista's grandson Dewey, great-grandsons Little Jim, Errol, Tyler, and Philip, and second-great-grandsons Austin and Blake.

Following his service in WWI, Reista returned to Erath, where he founded Domingues Farms. To make ends meet, he spent the winters trapping at his camp in the marsh south of the Intercoastal Canal. According to grandson Dewey, Reista would leave early one morning and live for a week with only “a couple of sweet potatoes, dried shrimp, and water.”

The Great Depression brought hardship to many farming families in the area; the Domingues Family has preserved stories that explain what life was like for the community. Little Jim remembers his grandparents telling him how families rationed sugar and coffee, which were essential for his grandparents. He even relates how his great-grandparents would make cheerleading uniforms from the sacks of rationed coffee beans for the local high school.

Edward Domingues, another grandson of Reista, remembers working on his grandfather’s farm. Reista’s two mules, Brodie and Mitchell, did most of the work. The brothers Dewey and Edward relate how there was an art to plowing with the mules. The mules were highly trained and could follow Reista’s commands, telling them when to turn. Reista purchased his first tractor in the 1950’s. Farmers in Erath shared the machinery they owned during harvest season. Dewey explains how everyone in the family came together to load the cane until the introduction of a derrick with its winch operated by the rear differential of a truck. “Farming was vital to life, but life was hard. Everyone was poor until the Texaco plant helped boost the economy… It marked a great change for farmers in the area," says Little Jim.

In the 1950s, a distribution hub on the natural gas pipeline system in Erath brought economic relief and opportunities to the community. Little Jim recalls his grandmother saying, “[Natural gas] made the cows fat and the cane green.” With the introduction of the Texaco natural gas hub, large farms and mills began to adopt mechanized methods. The Erath Sugar Mill was the leading purchaser of sugar cane from 1943 until its closure in the 1970s. Several mills purchase raw cane from local farmers today, including Cajun Sugar Company in New Iberia and LASUCA in St. Martinville.

Little Jim explains that despite mechanization and modern technology, much of the sugar cane planting and harvesting process remains unchanged. As in Reista’s time, Domingues Farms is still a sharecropping enterprise. The family owns a portion of the land farmed, while others own the majority. Today, the family is proud of its heritage as sixth-generation farmers in Vermilion Parish. Sugar cane farming remains an esteemed profession for Dewey, Little Jim, Errol, and their families, who continue their ancestors' legacy.