Beet harvest starts as factory opens Monday

Posted 9/9/14

“We’re on schedule for what we’ve been doing,” Bjornestad said. “It’s in the ballpark.”

Samples indicate the harvest will be around 29 tons per crop per acre with a little more than 16 percent sugar, Bjornestad said.

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Beet harvest starts as factory opens Monday

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The sugar beet harvest is underway.

Mark Bjornestad, Western Sugar’s area field man, said the Lovell factory opened Monday and beets are being sliced. The harvest continues through the end of October, he said, and the factory will run 24 hours per day until all the beets are processed, generally in mid-February.

“We’re on schedule for what we’ve been doing,” Bjornestad said. “It’s in the ballpark.”

Samples indicate the harvest will be around 29 tons per crop per acre with a little more than 16 percent sugar, Bjornestad said.

That is a “little bit low tonnage and little bit low sugar,” he said.

About 100 seasonal workers have been added to handle the harvest, according to Bjornestad. With around 15,000 acres of sugar beets planted in the Big Horn Basin, there’s plenty of work for them.

He’s a salaried worker, so Bjornestad said he doesn’t keep track of his hours. He just knows there will be a lot of long days this fall as the harvest comes in.

One change he’s made is leaving his wedding ring at home. Bjornestad lost it last year, but it was miraculously found by some co-workers.

“It’s on the dresser,” he said with a chuckle.

Bjornestad reminded people that a lot of trucks hauling beets will be on the roads for the next several weeks.

“Tell people to keep in mind that big trucks don’t stop fast, and keep their eyes open,” he said.

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