Family business might be an understatement for the Lewis’ and sugar cane farming. At one point, their family farm had 30 employees and every single one was a blood relative.

Up in Michigan, Rita Herford’s family has been farming sugar beets for five generations, ever since her ancestors emigrated from Germany.

As the Senior Vice President of Hundley Farms, based in Belle Glade, Florida, Eric Hopkins is part of a family farming business that stretches back to 1969.

As a third-generation farmer, Ben has established a reputation for being a resource to others in the agricultural field. He says it's important to balance business sense with being a good neighbor, an environmental steward and an industry advocate.

As manager for Amalgamated Sugar’s largest warehouse in Nampa, Idaho, Maria Alvarez runs a 24/7 operation, oversees a staff of 176 and is host and company ambassador to guests visiting the facility. But she takes it all in stride.

It’s common to hear sugar farming referred to as a family business. Stories of parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents working the same land is not unusual.

As an agriculturalist and a farmer, Michael Ann brings her passion for agriculture to both her day job and her family’s farm.

With her own family history in agriculture, Krystal married into the world of sugar beets and strong family ties to the ground in northern Wyoming.