Sweet Citrus Grows Between Tobacco And Cane

By Pam Folse

Some St. James Parish farmers look out their back window to see acres and acres of sugar-cane. Others see the rich, green Perique tobacco leaves which are aged and fermented. When Butch Millet goes out to his farm in the morning he sees sugarcane to his left, tobacco to his right and his crop of over 500 citrus trees lining his back yard as far back towards Hwy. 3125 as he can see from his River Road home in Paulina.

Robert A. “Butch” Millet wasn’t always a citrus farmer and the land wasn’t always filled with citrus trees. His grandpa was a Perique tobacco farmer and Tobacco Barn #16 was on the property until Hurricane Betsy demolished the building.

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