Small Town News

Early harvest begins Tuesday

---

Area sugar beet farmers are rolling up their sleeves and getting ready to reap the benefits of the hard work they've put in over the past months as the early sugar beet harvest begins Tuesday, Sept. 7, according to Western Sugar Cooperative officials.

WS agriculturist Mark Bjornestad said farmers are harvesting early this year because the harvest is expected to be larger than usual.

Bjornestad said he finished taking samples from area farmers on Wednesday, Aug. 25, indicating a record 24 tons per acre. With current estimates about 1/3 of a ton higher than the previous season's estimates, Bjornestad said it could be a bumper crop of sugar beets this season if the weather cooperates.

We should have a really good crop," he said.

Samples for sugar content were near normal as of last week, at about 14 percent.

Any beets harvested before Oct. 2 are considered in the early harvest period, Bjornestad said. Most farmers will be allowed to bring 5.3 tons per acre to the piles near the Lovell factory during early harvest, Bjornestad said, making up about 20 percent of the total harvest, he said.

The Western Sugar Factory in Lovell processes beets from more than 15,000 acres in the region.

The Lovell factory will begin processing beets for the 2010 campaign on Thursday, Sept. 9, two days after early harvest begins.

Area beet farmers are still reeling from the 2009 harvest, which promised to be the best harvest in years, only to be cut off early by a devastating freeze in October that forced many to leave a portion of their crop in the ground to spoil.



Copyright 2010 The Lovell Chronicle, Lovell, Wyoming. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 The Lovell Chronicle Lovell, Wyoming. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

More from The Lovell Chronicle