http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

Years of drought hurt sugar production in the Rio Grande Valley, prompting the board of directors of the Rio Grande Sugar Growers co-op to close the mill permanently. Mexico has not given the water that they were obligated to provide under the 1944 treaty, which is 350,000 acre-feet per year on average. A Dec. 5 deadline came and went, and it became clear that the water would not be there for the sugar growers. The 90 sugar growers will be affected by the lack of water, and so will the more than 500 employees that work for the mill, doing a variety of jobs, such as drivers of trucks, tractors and harvesters. There are also 150 full time mill employees that are administrative staff and operate the mill. Employees will be employed through April 29 and will receive all of their pay and vacation pay. Texas Standard (Austin), Feb 26, 2024