Powell Tribune
With September, beet trucks will be on the roadways in Western Sugar’s Lovell Factory District.
The early harvest of area sugar beets starts Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Receiving stations will be open five days a week through September and the first couple of days in October. The regular harvest is scheduled to begin on Oct. 6, depending on weather and forecasts, said Ric Rodriguez, Heart Mountain grower and Western Sugar Co. board member.
“Yields are projected to be down somewhat from recent averages, but we have had good growth in September before,” and growers are hopeful that is the case this year, said Rodriguez.
Sugar content is expected to be about average for Lovell district growers, he added.
The processing campaign at the Lovell factory also begins Sept. 7 with early-delivered beets.
Receiving stations at Bridger, Montana, and at the factory in Lovell will be the first to open. The Bridger beets will be brought to Lovell to offset some of the acreage loss in the Powell area, guaranteeing adequate tonnage for the Lovell factory.
West Powell receiving station will open Wednesday, Sept. 8, followed by Heart Mountain station on Sept. 14.
Growers will deliver 10 to 15 percent of their crop in the early dig, depending on factory performance. All receiving stations will open for the regular harvest Oct. 6.
