Inspecting sugar beet crop -- LNN file photo

By Dori Modney

Harvest begins early for Southern Alberta’s sweetest crop

Sep 4, 2020 | 6:58 AM

TABER, AB. – With the memory of Southern Alberta’s early start to winter last fall still upper-most in the minds of sugar beet growers, they’ve decided to move up the harvest this season.

The 2019 harvest had to be called off early, when a severe snowstorm at the end of September, followed by three cold snaps in October, destroyed the crop.

About 45 per cent of the crop had to be left in the ground, making it the worst harvest in more than three decades.

Alberta Sugar Beet Growers President, Gary Tokariuk, says they will attempt to mitigate the threat this harvest season.

“We are encouraging our growers to dig a little of their crop during this early harvest period to alleviate some of the pressure on main harvest.”

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With that in mind, farmers from across Southern Alberta will haul their harvesters into the sugar beet fields and start digging on September 4, in a “mini” harvest, to ensure the factory has the needed inventory of sugar beets for a start up. The goal is to deliver over 180,000 tonnes of sugar beets to the factory in September, by opening the receiving stations located in Burdett, Taber, Vauxhall, Picture Butte, Enchant, Coaldale and Tempest at varying times over the next 26 days.

Sugar beets are stored outside in piles and delivered to the factory as needed. There are 190 growers in the region with over 30,000 acres of sugar beets.

The early harvest will be crucial, as a higher than above-average yield is expected this year. All the beets would normally be processed by mid-February but, Tokariuk says with a crop this size, it could take longer.

Sugar beet crop — LNN file photo

The main harvest is set to begin October 1 and Tokariuk asks that drivers be patient with farmers as they move equipment from field to field.

“Watch out for trucks hauling sugar beets from the fields to the receiving stations – we understand that this can be frustrating. Something to remember is that the contents of that truck that is moving slow will probably be on your dinner plate over the next six months.”

The history of Southern Alberta sugar beet growing dates back to 1902, with multiple generations of families growing the crops.