| Michigan Sugar Co. opened its 16 sites Wednesday, receiving more than
150 tractor-trailer truckloads of sugar beets in some locations.
Officials of the Saginaw Township-headquarted company say they are
looking for 7,000 to 8,000 tons of beets at each site today to keep
processing plants busy until the sugar campaign opens in earnest Oct. 15,
weather permitting.
The dry summer stopped sugar beets from growing, and a wet fall is
hampering the harvest.
Only one of Monitor Sugar Co.'s six locations began operating last week
-- in Bay City. The company's five receiving stations remained closed.
Michigan Sugar has 113,000 acres under contract, said Robert D. Braem,
vice president of agriculture.
Farmers have delivered 53,000 tons of beets to Monitor Sugar's
Deckerville location since Monday, and the plant there will stay open
until at least Friday, said Paul D. Pfenninger, vice president of
agriculture for Bay City-based Monitor.
"It's been a slow delivery, because the weather is so nice the
farmers are concentrating on getting in their beans and corn and planting
winter wheat," he said.
Growers also delivered 53,000 tons to Monitor's Bay City plant before
it stopped taking deliveries. The plant was to reopen today to accept
another 25,000 tons.
Monitor has 73,079 acres under contract. |