| A dry summer stopped sugar beets from growing, and now a wet fall is
hampering the harvest.
While one of Monitor Sugar Co.'s two locations began operating
Wednesday, Michigan Sugar Co. won't open its 16 sites until next
Wednesday.
"Truck traffic is very slow," said Paul D. Pfenninger, vice
president of agriculture for Bay City-based Monitor.
Monitor's Deckerville location remains closed because of rain.
"Besides the rain they got over the weekend, they got an inch and
two-tenths (Tuesday)," Pfenninger said. "We hope to open the
Deckerville plant at 8 a.m. Monday."
Pfenninger said the company is paying a premium of $6 per ton for the
first 76,000 tons that farmers deliver before Monday.
The company will not store large numbers of beets until daytime
temperatures stay at 55 degrees or lower, probably around Oct. 15,
Pfenninger said.
Monitor has 73,079 acres under contract, with about 3,000 acres
enrolled in a government program that pays farmers to plow the crop under
to keep surpluses in check.
Michigan Sugar sent letters to growers to tell them which facilities
will open Wednesday, said Robert D. Braem, vice president of agriculture.
The company has 113,000 acres under contract, Braem said. He said he
doesn't how many farmers have applied for the government payment program.
Braem said Michigan Sugar didn't delay opening because of wet weather
but to give the beets a little extra time to develop.
"We expect to fully open around Oct. 15," Bream said. |