(This is part of a Sugarbeet Grower Magazine series of harvest-wrap up stories featuring sugarbeet companies from around the U.S. and Canada. For more, click here.)

DENVER Colo. — The 2020 sugarbeet growing season was hot and dry in all Western Sugar growing regions. All areas had a full supply of irrigation water for the crop and it was needed. The cooperative had minimal replanted acres in all regions. Sugarbeet diseases and pests were very minimal this year across the cooperative.

Early harvest started on Aug. 31 in Montana, Nebraska and Colorado. A hard freeze occurred on Oct. 23 across the entire growing region of the cooperative. Montana also received a foot of snow on Oct. 16. Harvest for Montana did not resume until the Nov. 1. Cold/freezing temperatures did not allow all the acres to be harvested in Montana.

Yields in the Montana region averaged 33.3 tons per acre, with an 18.72% sugar. Lovell, Wyo., averaged 27.6 tons per acre with a 19.12% sugar. Nebraska averaged 30.83 tons per acre with an 18.8% sugar and Colorado 31 tons per acre with an 18.14% sugar. Sugarbeet processing is scheduled to be completed in early March.

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