Area growers are well into the harvest of the 2025 sugar beet crop, expected to yield results similar to a year ago.

By the numbers, that would be a very good outcome.

Sampling done in July and early August in the Lovell factory district of Western Sugar Cooperative teased at numbers in record territory. Ric Rodriguez, Heart Mountain grower and a member of the four-state cooperative’s board of directors, isn’t going overboard in his predictions, but he was upbeat just the same.

“Lovell growers should have a very good crop,” he said, reflected by the sampling.

But then he added the caveat that’s always out there: “If we don’t have any weather events or an early freeze.”

So what did the sampling numbers show?

Estimates project a Lovell district-wide average yield of 29.01 tons of beets per acre, with sugar content of 19.05%. If the sugar content comes in that high in 2025, it would be the second highest on record.

Last year the Lovell factory district crop posted the highest sugar content in history at 19.21%. The 2024 yield averaged 29.21 tons per acre.

The other critical number is the purity which projects how much sugar can be processed out of the beets. A year ago it was one of the highest purity years at 86.65%.

Digging of beets across the four states of Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and Nebraska began on Sept. 2. Over the four states, the 2025 crop looks to be about average, Rodriguez said.

“Montana stands out with an above average crop,” he said. “They are projected to average 36 tons per acre, with a decent sugar content of 18.82%.”

The Sept. 2 start to the beet harvest in the Lovell district is about a week earlier than usual. The factory began slicing on Sept. 3.

The reason for the earlier start in the Lovell factory district is related to the expected high yields of Montana beets. Some of that Montana tonnage will need to be processed in Lovell, including Clarks Fork Valley beets.