Sugarbeet Harvest Wrapping Up Soon

Sugarbeet harvest 2013 should be completed by the end of this week according to Sidney Sugars agriculturalist Russ Fullmer. Before the heavy rains caused some delays, the crop was 80% harvested. “We broke records for weekly and daily tons with 1 day coming in at over 70,000 tons. The digging was good, the trucks were going, everything was clean and there were no breakdowns,” Fullmer said. “We’re really lucky compared to Western Sugar (in Billings). Some of those growers haven’t been able to dig in 2 weeks. We were really blessed the way it came.” Sidney Sugars has been able to hold the harvest help during the breaks, although some of them have left. “It’s just about done for them. Some are ready to go and get away from the chilly temperatures,” he said with a chuckle.

With each digging day, 4 or 5 more growers get done. Culbertson finished up October 12 and Powder River was all done by October 17.

Tonnage surpassed earlier estimates, coming in at an average of 27.2 tons per acre. However, no one is happy about the sugar content which is averaging 16.5. “It’s not the best,” Fullmer said. “I don’t know how it will compare to the average in the industry.”

Sugar prices are also down this fall with the lowest prices the industry has seen since the 80s. Various factors including a huge crop last year, and excess sugar coming in from Mexico have contributed to the lower prices. “Next year might be great,” Fullmer said. “Since I’ve been in the business, it’s been a roller coaster.”

As always, Sidney Sugars spent the months between campaigns doing maintenance and capital improvements. A new, bigger beet elevator was installed to replace the old undersized one. “The old one had to work too hard. They wear out fast,” Fullmer explained. A big project underway now involves improving the waste water treatment. Sidney Sugars is exploring different technology to better clean and treat all the waste water the plant generates. “We’ve also done a lot of work to the boilers, making them more efficient,” Fullmer said. The plant has 2 coal and 1 gas fired burners. Work on those will probably continue next summer.

Sidney Sugars continues to remind everyone to drive defensively, be courteous, and get through the remainder of harvest safely.