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Planting the Beets
Beet seed are planted in the Spring and harvested in the Autumn.
Growing the Beets
Beets are planted from a small seed; 1lb of beet seed will plant about an acre.
Defoliating the Beets
The beet harvesters defoliate the leaves from the root, lift it from the ground, and remove excess soil from the root.
Harvesting the Beets
The harvest and processing season is referred to as "the campaign". Harvest often runs 12-24 hours a day for approximately 6 weeks.
Piling the Beets
Beets are brought from the various farms to our receiving locations where the beets are weighed, sampled, unloaded, and placed into storage. In order to insure that the beets retain their sugar content, beets are piled below 55 degrees in order to keep the piles cool, and prevent sugar loss in the beets. Piles can be as large as 20 feet tall by 180 feet wide by several hundred feet long. Beets are later trucked from the piles to the factories for processing.