A load of sugar beets is dumped at the Western Sugar station north of Holyoke. — Johnson Publications
Wet conditions hinder beet harvest
Fields are still very wet, and beet harvest has been slow to get going this year. Les Watada of Western Sugar said that the state of Colorado is at about 19 percent complete, partially due to a very limited early harvest.
In the Holyoke area, the first load was taken to the state line station Oct. 11 and to the site just north of Holyoke on Oct. 14. Watada had planned to start Oct. 9, but snow and rain kept that from happening.
Warm weather has put the stations on the early schedule, operating from 4 a.m.-noon. If weather cools down, they can keep going longer, Watada said, but the internal temperature of the beets needs to be at 50 degrees or below.
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