Sugar content is strong in northwest Minnesota’s sugarbeet crop, but drought has taken a toll on tonnage. Climax-area farmer Ben Larson says early harvest showed sugars above twenty percent “When we pre-hauled 10 days to two weeks ago, we were over twenty percent,” Larson said. “Tons were probably around twelve, so it’s pretty light, half a crop probably. But with the premium you get for pre-pile, we’ll do okay on those.” Dry conditions have also helped limit Cercospora leaf spot. Larson credits both the weather and timely spraying by farmers in the area. “I think the combination of both has really helped this year because we have to look really hard to find any spots out there.”
