10/20/08 Beet harvest in full swing

It's the smallest crop in more than two decades but the processing has started on Idaho sugarbeets. Amalgamated Sugar Company's John Schorr says some farmers opted to plant alternative crops but the weather was the biggest factor in the 40 percent production reduction. SCHORR "We had a very tough spring. We lost some beets because of blowing and winds and frost." 131 thousand acres of beets were planted this year but only about 117 thousand are expected to be harvested for a total of 3.57 million tons. Schorr says the yields this year are down from last year's record 34.4 tons per acre. SCHOOR "We could have been in much tougher shape if it hadn't been for Roundup Ready beets. They came back and we feel that we've got a good solid crop. The sugars look pretty good this year." The Paul and Twin Falls plants started processing beets October 9th, the Nampa plant a week later. Schorr says they will be done slicing beets in early February, a month earlier than normal. Amalgamated expects the acreage to increase next year to what the company says are normal levels and they believe 2008 was a one year anomaly. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott