Hard to ‘beet’ our growing conditions

Spring is definitely not in the air, but if you have been in the valley lately you most likely smelled the processing of sugar beets! Sugar beet harvest began a few weeks early this year due to the weather and with Nebraska ranking 6th in the U.S., most of that production is centered in Scottsbluff, Morrill and Box Butte counties. Typically between 40,000 - 60,000 acres are planted for sugar beets each year with the highest acreage planted at 80,000 acres in 2000. Between product ion and processing the local economy gains an estimated $130 million through property taxes, payroll, and more. The geography and climate here make great growing conditions for sugar beets because the panhandle has an average of between 135160 clear days per year and sugar beets need about 140 such days to grow well. The elevation in this area ranges between 3,000-5,000 feet so we have hot days and cooler nights.

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