A big sugarbeet harvest in Michigan is expected to keep processing plants working until the end of March, a few weeks longer than usual.
Keith Kalso, agricultural manager for Michigan Sugar Co. in Croswell, told the Times Herald of Port Huron that farmers have been getting an average yield of 30 tons per acre. That's higher than the normal yield, which averages 27 to 28 tons per acre.
Kalso said this year's yield could mean good returns for the farmers who own shares and produce sugarbeets for Michigan Sugar.
"They'll have more income because they have more yield per acre," Kalso said. "We presume the corporation will do well because we'll have more product to sell, and we can give those profits back to the growers."
The cooperative had considered telling growers to ignore some beets so it could process the crop for what's expected to be a record year. But Michigan Sugar last month told growers to harvest all their sugarbeets. Michigan Sugar has processing plants in several communities.
Michael Noll, president of the Sanilac County Farm Bureau and owner of Noll Dairy Farm in Croswell, said a moist summer and fall kept sugar beets growing though the fall.
"The sugarbeets crop as a whole was planted later than normal," Noll said. "It caught everybody by surprise because they didn't think they'd get this kind of tonnage for as late as the planting was."
Michigan Sugar has more than 1,200 shareholders and more than 900 growers producing an acre or more of beets in 20 Michigan counties and parts of Canada. Its products are sold in wholesale and retail quantities under the Pioneer Sugar and Big Chief Sugar brands.
Sugarbeets require cold, consistent weather for good storage. Kalso said that becomes difficult the later processing takes place.
"March is a wild card," Noll said. "It can either go warm or cool, and we need it to stay cool to get all these beets processed."
Source: www.miamiherald.com