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The later-than-usual sugar beet harvest in Western Sugar’s Lovell factory district is off and running — in fact, a few days earlier than anticipated.
Work at the factory in Lovell required a …
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The later-than-usual sugar beet harvest in Western Sugar’s Lovell factory district is off and running — in fact, a few days earlier than anticipated.
Work at the factory in Lovell required a delayed start to the 2026 harvest. First digging had been pegged for Sept. 28, but completion of factory repairs allowed for that schedule to be moved ahead by a few days.
“They need a three-day supply of beets before starting the processing campaign at the Lovell factory, which began mid-morning on Saturday (Sept. 26),” said Ric Rodriguez, Heart Mountain grower and member of the Western Sugar Cooperative board of directors.
The first beets to supply the factory start-up came from grower deliveries to the Heart Mountain receiving station west of Ralston and the factory receiving station at Lovell. That early dig started Sept. 24.
“We are still operating on an early harvest schedule,” Rodriguez said.
The Lovell factory receiving station remains open. Heart Mountain receiving station is now closed, and the West Powell receiving station opened Sept. 28 and will run until Friday. Re-haul of beets from those stations to the factory is underway.
The full blown regular harvest with the opening of all receiving stations in the district starts on Monday, Oct. 5. Cooler temperatures are needed going forward for long-term storage.
“We will monitor beet temperatures to determine how many hours the stations will remain open,” Rodriguez reported. “Hopefully we start getting some cooler temperatures. The weather forecast looks good by mid-week.”
Sugar beets harvested so far are excellent, Rodriguez added. Sugar content from early Heart Mountain beets averages 17.46%, and the factory area beets average 17.77%, resulting in an overall average sugar content of 17.54%.
“It’s still a little early to determine the tonnage,” Rodriguez said. “I only had a couple of fields completed, and they averaged around 25 tons per acre.”
Harvest of Montana beets grown for Western Sugar is also underway and that crop looks excellent, Rodriguez said.
