{gallery}09_09_10/beets{/gallery}Sugar beets destined for Western Sugar Cooperative's Lovell factory rest in a truck north of Powell Wednesday morning. Tribune photo by Carla Wensky The Western Sugar Cooperative's Lovell factory geared up today (Thursday) to begin processing sugar beets. Local growers started harvesting beets on Tuesday. Western Sugar officials wrote a harvest plan for this fall that opens receiving stations across the Lovell factory district, which includes Powell, at staggered times, according to Randall Jobman of the Billings agricultural division of Western Sugar.

Jobman said the plan is designed to keep a three-day supply of beets ready for processing at the factory throughout the harvest.

“Not all stations run at the same time,” he said, which should also allow time to address equipment maintenance or repairs.

The staggered harvest is not the same as last year's allotment system, which let growers dig only a percentage of their sugar beets during certain days after a severe frost caused widespread damage to beets in early October. Jobman said high yields are expected, and the dig started Tuesday in an attempt to harvest all the beets while operating the factory efficiently.

The slicing campaign should continue into February, Jobman said. The schedule allows for weather delays, and most receiving stations will close on Sundays, he said.