Source: Sidney Herald
Sugarbeet harvest in eastern Montana should be complete by the end of this week. Duane Peters, agricultural manager at Sidney Sugars, reported on Monday morning that harvest was 95 percent complete.
“The factory should be complete by Friday, depending on weather,” Peters said. “I want to be done by Thursday if at all possible.”
The main weather challenge recently has been wind. Harvest has closed down three times because of strong gusts.
As of Monday, the substations in Culbertson and Pleasant View, Mont., were complete. There were still 500 acres to harvest in Sugar Valley, 200 acres for the factory, 30 acres in Savage and 40 acres in Powder River.
Peters said yield stands at 31.3 tons per acre and sugar content percentage is now at 17.95 percent.
“We’re really happy about that,” Peters said of the sugar content percentage.
He noted that because of the heat this summer, some fields were fairly sandy and had gravel.
“We just couldn’t keep the fields wet enough,” Peters said.
But, overall, it appears to be another solid crop for the MonDak region.
“Everything is looking good,” Peters said. “The factory is running great.”