ABERDEEN, Idaho—Amalgamated Sugar Co. growers know they’ve raised their best-ever beet crop, but harvesting it has become a muddy ordeal.
Duane Grant, a Rupert grower and chairman of Amalgamated’s parent cooperative, Snake River Sugar Co., estimated on Oct. 27 storms had already prolonged harvest east of Glenn’s Ferry by four days, and heavy showers returned the following day.
Grant called the string of storms “concerning” and fears the harvest could extend late into November, which would be unprecedented.
“It’s just a heightened risk that beets could get frozen or additional rain events could push us even later,” Grant said.
Grant also worries growers will deliver mud-covered beets, which can’t “breathe” and tend to decompose, forcing the company to process them as quickly as possible.
Aberdeen grower Bruce Foster confirmed his beets have been “coming in muddy.”
Muddy fields have also made his harvest a nightmare. During a window before the next storm, Foster used tractors and front-end loaders to pull his beet trucks through the mucky soil. He idled his 12-row beet harvesters, which sank too deep into the mud, in favor of six-row harvesters.
Source: www.capitalpress.com