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STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) -- California sugar beet growers had their
most productive season in years last year.
The state's growers harvested more than 112,000 acres of beets in
1999, averaging 32.12 tons per acre. The harvest produced about 5.23
tons of sugar per acre.
The sugar-per-acre ratio was a record for California producers,
surpassing the previous high of 4.62 tons per acre in 1996. The
acreage and per-acre beet yield were the highest in five years.
The approaching 2000 crop also appears to be in good health,
according to the California Beet Growers Association. But acreage is
expected to decline because beets have not been planted for the 2001
spring harvest for the Tracy and Woodland sugar beet processing
factories. Those factories are expected to close this winter.
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