Limited deliveries of frozen sugar beets resumed Monday in the Powell area with the somber assessment from sugar company officials that extremely cold temperatures a week ago left the remaining crop “in real poor condition.”

Temperatures ranged from single digits to sub-zero in some parts of the Lovell Factory District last week. Beets were frozen 4 to 6 inches under the ground, said beet board vice chairman Ric Rodriguez.

Some thawing occurred with the warmer temperature over the weekend, causing co-op officials to open receiving stations Monday for any growers who wanted to deliver. But the damage was unmistakable.

“The beets are in real poor condition,” said Rodriguez. He added that damaged beets will only store a few days.

Rain and snow Sunday night and Monday further restricted deliveries by growers. Wet conditions in the Lovell area, in particular, “made it near impossible to get up to the pilers,” Rodriguez said.

The condition of the beets will be assessed daily and hourly to determine if they have any processing value, Rodriguez said. Roughly one-third of the area’s 2019 sugar beet harvest was still in the ground when temperatures plummeted a week ago.

“The company will receive beets as long as they are free of mud and tops and if they are still processing in the factory,” he said.

— Dave Bonner