Freeze, Warm Spell, Damaging to Wyoming Beets
CODY, Wyo. (AP) — Farmers in Wyoming are wrapping up a difficult year for sugar beets.
A cold snap followed by a week of mild temperatures is threatening the harvest in the Bighorn Basin.
A freeze followed by a thaw causes liquids to run out and spoil other beets when they're stacked in piles. It also lowers the sugar content and price for beets.
The Cody Enterprise reports a summer hailstorm and rainy weather also made for a difficult year.
Farmer Cody Easum says harvest size and sugar content are both low this year.
A local beet pile is growing by about 1,200 tons per day, down from 3,000-4,000 tons in a typical year.