A sugar cane field is burned in Clewiston, Florida, in 2008. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) At a Glance For generations, growers have burned sugar cane fields to remove the leaves.Residents of small towns around Lake Okeechobee say the smoke endangers their health.A class-action lawsuit claims the burns reduce property values and compromise air quality. Harvest time is usually a cause for celebration, but residents of small towns along Lake Okeechobee have come to dread South Florida's sugar cane harvest. Before the...