Harvest of area sugar beets was pretty much brought to a halt early this week by wet snow and muddy fields.

In addition, temperatures dipped below freezing Monday night across much of the Lovell Factory District, only one week into the regular harvest. Between 4 and 6 inches of snowfall and winds in the Heart Mountain farming area west of Powell made roads treacherous.

Overnight lows are forecast to remain below freezing for the rest of this week, with warming temperatures in the daytime.

Western Sugar Cooperative agricultural staff will evaluate crops in the field to assess frost damage.

“Depending on how far the frost goes down, we may have to go to a scheduled harvest, only receiving enough beets for a week of slice,” said Ric Rodriguez, Heart Mountain grower and member of the beet growers’ board.

“This will give beets time to heal up, with warmer temperatures next week,” he said. “It will be day to day.”

—By Dave Bonner