It's dead," Mr Prasert said, pulling the dusty shoot apart. "Worms have eaten up all its roots. They're all starting to die. This is the worst I've seen it since I started growing sugar cane in 1979."
International prices may have rallied but farmers are reaping no benefits. Mr Prasert and other sugar farmers in this central province say they have lost 20%-30% of their output this year due to the drought.
Dry conditions make sugar cane less sweet, so sugar mills need more to produce the same amount of sugar.
That means they pay farmers less per tonne.