U.S. Sugar partners with Everglades Equipment to scale precision farming

U.S. Sugar has entered a strategic partnership with Everglades Equipment Group to implement advanced John Deere precision agriculture technologies across its 255,000 acres of farmland in South Florida. The move reflects a broader industry shift toward digital tools and automation, as growers face rising input costs, labor shortages, and pressure to reduce environmental impact.

The agreement enables U.S. Sugar to expand its use of technologies such as JDLink machine connectivity, land-leveling software, and GPS-guided fertilizer applicators—all aimed at improving efficiency, reducing fuel use, and minimizing fertilizer runoff. According to U.S. Sugar President and CEO Ken McDuffie, the partnership builds on the company’s long-standing focus on operational innovation: “This partnership harnesses the very best precision agriculture technology currently available in American agriculture today,” he said.

Everglades Equipment CEO Mike Schlecter noted that U.S. Sugar’s early adoption of these tools is helping John Deere test and scale them for broader market deployment. The collaboration includes field testing of an autonomous tractor system, still in development, that could eventually reduce labor requirements and extend John Deere’s automated machinery offerings to high-density crop operations such as sugarcane.

Founded in 1931, U.S. Sugar is a vertically integrated farming and processing company producing sugarcane, citrus, sweet corn, and other vegetables. It also operates a Georgia-based refinery and a short-line railroad. The company employs approximately 3,000 people across multiple Florida counties.