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POWELL, Wyo. (AP) - Big Horn Basin farmers plan to raise about
22,000 acres of sugar beets for Western Sugar this summer.
The acreage is about the same as contracted last year, but down
about 1,000 acres from three years ago, according to Gordon Friede,
manager for the company's Lovell district.
Meantime, the sugar glut that has driven prices down about 25
percent since last year will take at least a year to resolve, he
said.
Much of the problem is the result of last year's bumper crops
for sugar beets and sugar cane.
Farmers do not need much more in the way of bad news, he said,
but "it'll iron out if everybody can hang on."
In Fremont County, more than 5,000 acres of sugar beets are
expected to be planted, according to Holly Sugar agriculturist
Dave Dahlsad.
"We're up quite a bit over last year," he said
Wednesday.
In 1999, Holly contracted for 4,419 acres of beets, and 4,372
ended up being planted.
This year, 21 growers in Fremont County have contracts with
Holly Sugar, up from 19 in 1999. |