WHEATLAND, Wyo.—Trucks are rolling, diggers are spinning and beet tops are flying as sugarbeet harvest continues in Platte County.
Harvest ramped up Oct. 5 and as of the middle of the month, nearly 40 percent of the crop was out.
Harvest is running smoothly, according to Western Sugar Cooperative Agriculturist Craig Spencer. While it was too early to give yield averages, Spencer said sugar percentages were a little better than average at 18.2 percent.
The warm weather has caused a few delays. Beets harvested in higher temperatures can spoil in the pile, so growers shut down during hotter days. The lack of fall precipitation has also required some farmers to use well water through pivot irrigation to soften the ground for pulling. Spencer said these are minor, normal parts of sugarbeet harvest.