Exceptional year expected by local beet farmers

Southern Alberta’s beet farmers are expecting an exceptional crop this year, but there are still many acres left unharvested in major production areas due to weather problems, says Melody Garner Skiba, executive director of the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers.

“The crop is great, but there have definitely been challenges within the harvest,” she says. “We typically produce around 25 tonnes per acre, and I think we are going to see an average closer to 30 tonnes per acre this year. But when Mother Nature decided to dump that snow on us earlier this month it really set us back. In some areas it delayed harvest by two weeks; especially down Burdett/Bow Island way. It was super muddy, and the piling grounds were muddy and the fields were muddy.”

“The other challenge we have had is the wind,” she adds. “When you’ve got a big end-dump trying to unload numerous tonnes of beets, and you’ve got strong winds, there have been numerous times we have had to shut down certain pilers and piling grounds this year.”

The good news is, says Garner -Skiba, harvest is largely complete in the Taber, Coaldale, Vauxhall and the Picture Butte areas. The bad news is in their biggest beetproducing region of Bow Island/Burdett harvest is still far from complete. Right now only about 70 per cent of the total harvest has been brought in, estimates Garner -Skiba— and it will take at least another week, perhaps two, to finish up.

According to Environment Canada, rain is predicted for next Tuesday and snow for next Wednesday in the Bow Island area. Garner -Skiba is hoping Mother Nature holds off long enough to allow producers to finish up with harvest.

“It’s one of those things where we have limited window before frost hits and snow flies to get it out of the ground,” says Garner-Skiba. “Anytime Mother Nature adds pressures with either wind or snow, it definitely adds angst to our farmers.”