Sugar harvest faces delays due to weather and mechanical issues

Wyoming Sugar Company President and CEO Mike Greear anticipates finishing the harvest near the end of October, which is later than usual, due to high temperatures and a mechanical breakdown at the factory. 

Greear said, "We're used to hot temperatures in late September, early October, but they've been much higher this year ... it just means our growers don't get to harvest the full day until the temps cool down." The ideal harvesting weather is no higher than 70 degrees during the day, according to Greear.

According to the National Weather Service, "Average temperature for Worland in September was 62.8 degrees which is 3.5 degrees above normal. the warmest reading of the month was 96 degrees on Sept. 2. The high on Sept. 25 of 94 tied the previous record set in 2014. The high on Sept. 28 of 91 degrees tied the 2010 record. Sept. 29 hit 94 degrees and broke the 1967 record of 92. The coldest reading for the month was 31 degrees on Sept. 22.

Per the NWS, the average temperatures in October for the first nine days has been 78.6 degrees, with five days in the 80s including a high of 86 on Oct. 4, 84 Oct. 2, 83 Oct. 9 and 80 on Oct. 8.

In addition to the weather, there was also a mechanical failure that caused the factory to shut down. Greear said, "It [processing] seems to be going smoothly now."

Despite the delay, the sugar factory has harvested over 25 percent of its crop. Currently, the sugar content is averaging over 19 percent. It is expected that beet yields will be a record for tons per acre, according to Greear. 

The processing campaign was originally scheduled to be completed by Feb. 7. However, due to all of the setbacks, Greear believes they will probably be complete no later than Feb. 15. "The ideal target is the 12th of February," Greear said. 

There are still openings at the Wyoming Sugar Company. Greear stated that "We are still understaffed, so we are actively and constantly recruiting."