Strong sugar beet harvest expected in northwest Wyoming

Sugar beet harvest is underway in the northwest part of the state. One of the largest growers in the Bighorn Basin anticipates a record harvest.

Ric Rodriguez grows about 1,500 acres of beets between Powell and Cody. This year he’s looking to bring in more than usual to the Western Sugar Cooperative’s processing facility in Lovell, where he also serves on the board of directors.

“ The crop was put in a timely manner in the spring and we had the nice rains and the right kind of weather. There’s just not a lot of things that you can really put your finger on and say it was just this one thing,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s September crop progress report forecasts sugar beet production in Wyoming will be up 13 percent from last year. In the report, 97 percent of farmers statewide rated their crop as good, with only one percent rating it poor.

“Average sugar content for this time of the year would be like 15.5 to 16 percent. And we’re currently running over 17 percent sugars. That means the quality is really, really good,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said too warm of weather or heavy rain could temporarily pause the harvest, which typically wraps up in November. The beets will be stored in piles outside until they’re cleaned and processed at the factory, which Rodriguez says can take until February.