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Despite a slow start this spring, the sugar beet crop is
improving all the time, say officials from Holly and Western Sugar.
"We took our first root samples on Monday," said Rick
Griffith, ag manager at Holly Sugar in Torrington. "We put them
through the tare lab on Tuesday and we were real surprised at the
results."
Griffith said the crop is an estimated two ton ahead of last year
and one of the heaviest samples they have seen in the last 10 years.
"We are contributing the results of those samples to our
growers irrigating earlier and the fact that heat units are ahead of
last year," Griffith said. "The beets really responded and
took off."
Jerry Darnell, senior agriculturist at Western Sugar, said at
Scottsbluff the crop is ahead of last year. "Mitchell is behind
last year," he added.
Samples taken last week in Scottsbluff indicate the crop could
average 19.77 tons per acre. Samples from the Bayard/Alliance areas
indicated 18.88 tons per acre, which is down from last year, Darnell
said.
Sampling results from other areas are as follows: NEBCO (Holyoke,
Big Springs, Yuma) - 22 tons per acre
Billings, Mont. - 24.5 tons per acre
Lovell, Wyo. - 21 tons per acre
Greeley, Colo. - 20.9 tons per acre
Ft. Morgan, Colo. - 21.3 tons per acre
"I think we have a chance to have a good crop," Darnell
said. "With this hot, dry weather, as long as the crop has been
irrigated it has a chance," he explained.
Darnell said of the samples taken only three hadn't been
irrigated. "Half of the samples hadn't been irrigated last
year," he added. "That is a good sign because it means the
crop will really take off with the hot, dry weather."
"The samples are a good indication that the crop is growing
and is healthy," said Griffith. "It shows us the beets are
pulling out of the hardship they suffered earlier."
Samples will be taken by Holly again in August and September,
said Griffith. "Those samples will give us an even better
indication of how the crop is doing."
The stands in the sample area were better than expected, both
officials said. "The beets were a lot bigger than we
anticipated," said Griffith. "The growing conditions this
last month will really put the yields on the crop."
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