According to a press release from Michigan Sugar Company on Aug. 11, the 2020-21 sugarbeet harvest has officially begun with factories in Caro and Croswell receiving their first harvests on Aug. 12, and Bay City and Sebewaing factories set to begin slicing Aug. 17.
Jim Ruhlman, executive vice president for Michigan Sugar, says about 30,000 of the company’s 162,000 acres of sugarbeets had to be replanted this year.
“At this time, we are estimating a crop of 29 to 30 tons per acre and sugar content close to 18 percent,” says Ruhlman. “I can’t stop thinking about the resolve that our growers had this spring when they replanted acres and weathered the storms of rain and historic flooding. To have a crop like we do is just remarkable,” he adds. “We are very well positioned for very good yields and high sugar.”
The early start date is reported to be the result of a large and healthy crop, weighing in at an estimated 4.8 million tons, and an increased desire to mitigate risk. Michigan Sugar Company’s grower-owners predict to complete 30-40% of this year’s harvest before permanent pilings begin in mid- to late- October. Sugarbeets harvested between now and then will likely be delivered and processed within a couple days.
Current start dates are the earliest for a campaign in Michigan Sugar’s recent history. According to the press release, the 2019-2020 campaign started in early September and concluded the week of April 5. That harvest accounted for the slicing of over 4.1 million tons of sugarbeets and the processing of more than 1 billion pounds of sugar.
In the time since the last campaign, Michigan Sugar Company has reportedly tackled several significant improvement projects at a number of their factories including the replacement of two carbon dioxide gas blowers at their Caro factory which dated back to the 1940s.
Michigan Sugar Company would like to remind motorists that the start of sugarbeet processing means an increase in the presence of sugarbeet trucks traveling between farm fields and factories across the Thumb.
The company has also begun hiring campaign employees for the sugarbeet processing season. People interested in learning more about available jobs are encouraged to visit www.michigansugar.com and view current openings under the “Careers” link.