Sugarbeet harvest 2013 is complete in western Nebraska, and it was a record breaking year for Western Sugar Cooperative.
The final beets in western Nebraska were hauled in late November.The co-op ended up with a record setting 29.3 ton crop, with a 15 .3 percent sugar yield.
Agricultural Manager Jerry Darnell says he is very pleased with the tonnage, but the sugar yield is less than ideal.He says that Mother Nature played a big factor in the lower sugar content.
"The biggest factor is from all the rain we had at the beginning of the harvest," says Darnell. "Saturated the soil that made it a wet beet, so reactivated some nitrogen crop. Took up that nitrogen and was growing tonnage instead of putting on sugar."
Darnell says that the sugar factory will be operating around the clock until at least late February to process this year's harvest.
Source: www.kotanow.com