Sugar Beet Harvest Likely To Start Next Week

Sugar beet harvest in the Culbertson area will likely start sometime next week.

Duane Peters, Sidney Sugars’ agricultural manager, is predicting harvest will begin in Culbertson on either Monday, Oct. 4, or Tuesday, Oct 5.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 28, Sidney Sugars was pre-piling in Sugar Valley, Savage and the factory.

“Temperatures have been too warm,” Peters explained the later start of harvest. “We just can’t stockpile beets right now.”

He said the latest beginning of harvest that he can remember was Oct. 8, back in 2011.

Peters is hoping that the cold weather front predicted for later this week will allow for the storage of beets.

Sugar content percentage right now is an average of 17.5 percent. Peters said usually the percentage is about 16.5 percent at this time.

“Sugars look good,” Peters noted.

Tons per acre is averaging about 30. Officials were hoping to reach 31 for tonnage average.

Peters said the factory staff is managing, but could use more employees.