Sugar Beet Freeze

 Western Sugar Cooperative representatives are still hoping to find some undamaged sugar beets as the harvest continues in northern Wyoming. Most of the beets were frozen in the ground by unseasonably cold weather in early October just as the harvest was beginning. Ric Rodriguez farms beets near Powell and is vice chairman of the Western Sugar board of directors. He said a lot of beets were damaged but that hope remains of finding some good ones in the harvest.

 The cold snap wreaked havoc on what was expected to be a record sugar beet harvest. Other crops, such as dry beans, alfalfa seed, wheat and corn also have been damaged.

Agriculture officials estimate losses could surpass $12 million, and a federal disaster declaration was being sought. The bad luck that producers are having in some of the Northwest does not appear to be affecting Idaho’s bumper crop of sugar beets according to Mark Duffin, Executive Director of the Idaho Sugarbeet Growers Association: “We’re aware that they’ve been having weather problems and I’m not in a position to speculate on just what their losses are and how that would affect the market, we’re just finishing up our harvest, fortunately we’ve been blessed with a pretty good crop.”

 And that is great news for Idaho farmers.