American Crystal Sugar completed the sugar beet harvest for Crookston and the Red River Valley area in late October, and they want to thank all of the farmers, harvesters, truck drivers, and other personnel who contributed to a safe and productive harvest.
Agronomy Manager Travis Pederson was thankful that the weather remained cooperative toward the end of the harvest, after warmer-than-average temperatures caused daytime shutdowns throughout late September and early October. Some rain rolled through the Red River Valley in mid-to-late October, which Pederson liked to see, as it helped make the final harvests easier and put farmers in a good position for the 2027 planting and harvest seasons. “Overall, I would say it was a successful and safe harvest. Anytime we can finish up in that third week of October and put a good quality crop in the pile, that’s success. Now, we’ll shift gears and go into our storage mode, and hopefully, Mother Nature cooperates with us to keep the piles cool and ready for processing.”
While crews have worked through the stockpiles to prepare for the winter season, Pederson reported that the sugar yield from this year’s crop is around 18%, which is just under regional expectations but still a good yield overall. As for tonnage, the Crookston region yielded around 25-27 tons per acre, which is also slightly below average. Overall, Pederson likes the preliminary numbers from this year’s harvest. “I would say our sugar probably ended up closer to average. It looks like we’re still going through the numbers on our end, but we’ll probably finish just shy of 18% sugar, which isn’t far from our long-term average or what we expect year in, year out. And tonnage-wise, we were a couple tons off the valley average here in Crookston. It looks like we’ll finish just a hair over 27 tons per acre valley–wide, and we’ll be a ton or two off of that here in the Crookston district.”
Pederson thanked the community and local businesses for their patience during the harvest season and the support they give to those who harvest, haul, and process the sugar beet crop every year. “I just appreciate the community support. I know we bring in a lot of seasonal help, and the hotels and restaurants and the roads are busier, and we appreciate the community’s support in helping get the harvest done.”
