POWELL—Favorable weather since spring has made for an earlier and sweeter sugarbeet harvest than usual in the Bighorn Basin, where farmers hope temperatures will remain not too hot or cold during the next several weeks.
Digging began last Wednesday. It's the earliest and could prove to be the biggest beet harvest the Lovell area has seen, farmer Fred Hopkin said.
"Farmers are optimistic about a good crop, and I don't think people are thrilled to start this early. But that is the downside to a good crop—the harvest will go longer than normal," he said.
Local fields are yielding about 30 tons an acre. Thanks to advances in biotechnology and seed development, yields over the last decade are up from 22 to around 28 tons an acre.
Cool weather in the spring raised concern that turned to be unfounded, said Ric Rodriguez, vice chairman of the Western Sugar Cooperative board of directors.
"It is hard to predict," Rodriguez said. "We had the ideal growth with a wet spring—summer had the right sunshine and moisture."
Farmers are paid based on the sugar content of their harvest. This year's crop is sweeter than normal by about a half to three-quarters of a percent, Rodriguez said.
Beets harvested this time of year typically go straight to processing. The weather is still too warm for beets to be stored for very long without spoiling.
Beets harvested in October typically are stored before they're processed weeks or months later. Long-term piling of sugarbeets will start on Oct. 2 for the later harvest.
"Let's just hope for good weather," Rodriguez said. "Hot is bad, and cold is worse."
Source: www.trib.com