Some delays in the early going of the 2025 sugar beet harvest in the Lovell factory district have been weather related.

But get ready for this. It’s been conditions a little too warm and wet into mid-October that have slowed the beet harvest, rather than periods of freezing cold.

“Harvest is going as well as can be with the weather,” said Ric Rodriguez, Heart Mountain grower and board member the four-state Western Sugar Cooperative. “There have been delays because of heat and excessive moisture.”

That’s true across the four-state region of Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and Nebraska. Area growers in the Lovell district are actually the furthest along in their harvest at 40% of planted acreage, with the Billings factory district in Montana close behind at 39%.

“The Billings area has had a lot of rain in the past two weeks so it has slowed them some,” Rodriguez reported. “Nebraska is around 35% complete, and Colorado is even further behind because of some excessive moisture,” he said.

Harvest results are encouraging. In Lovell, yields are coming in a little better than the projected 29.01 tons per acre, and sugar content is averaging 17.39%.

“Yields in all the other areas are slightly better than projected, with sugars close to projections,” Rodriguez added.

Cooler weather is in the forecast, with periods of rain also likely.

“Freezing weather is always a concern,” he noted. “Nothing too severe is in the forecast, but we know how the weather can change in a heartbeat. With a little luck, we should complete the harvest on time.”

Sugar processing factories in all four states are operating well this year, Rodriguez reported.