TORRINGTON – As the 2017 Western Sugar Cooperative sugar beet early harvest reaches the midway point, the company is pleased with results.
All plants, except Fort Morgan, Colo., were running late last week. The lone Colorado facility was idle because wet weather had prevented harvesting. Billings, Mont., as well as Lovell and Torrington, have been up and running for several weeks. Torrington started early harvest on Sept. 5. It also processes Wheatland area beets.
Jerry Darnell, Western’s vice president of agriculture, said local results have been exceptional. With 230,000 tons purchased, sugar content is averaging 16.1 percent, with a high of 16.7 percent recorded on Sept. 28. Sugar loss to molasses, or SLM, is at 1.21.