| Growers Night at the Holly Sugar factory tare laboratory
will be Thursday Sept. 7 from 6-8 pm.
Area beetgrowers can bring samples in for testing at that time. If a
grower can't make it at that time, Holly will still run samples for
growers, according to Chief Agriculturalist Russ Fullmer. He says growers
can pick up tare bags and field information tags at the factory or use
their own bags and bring in the pertinent information.
"It helps us gauge the quality of the crop, and with the
third-root samples coming in, we'll get a pretty good idea what to
expect," said Fullmer.
A 30-40 pound sample can be tested for sugar content if a grower wants
a tonnage estimate. He must dig 10 feet of a row and bring that to the
factory.
The samples can help a farmer determine which fields to harvest first.
The Growers Night helps the factory train new employees working in the
tare lab for the first time and give seasonal employees a refresher
course.
On Thursday afternoon, tare lab personnel will warm up by processing
the third-root sample and research beets before the growers come in with
their samples in the evening. While farmers await the results of the tests
they can visit with Holly Sugar Technical Services Manager Dave Cummings
and other factory personnel.
Early beet harvest begins Sept. 11, and Holly Sugar has contracted with
growers to provide 150,000 tons of beets for the period until regular
harvest begins and the factory is ready for full production on Oct. 1. |