Sugarbeets
by Patti Rusch
Introduction
The scientific name for sugarbeets
is Beta vulgaris L. They are the largest source of sugar in the
United States. They also make up a third of the sugar in the entire world.
The leading state for sugarbeets production is Minnesota. It is a biannual
which is best grown in areas of the world such as the U.S., Germany, Poland,
Canada, France, Russia, and Ukraine. These are areas which consist of cooler
climates.
Facts
Minnesota
- Minnesota
is the largest beet-producing region in the United States.
- Over
2,000 growers produce 9.2 million tons of beets on 430,000 acres.
-
The sugarbeet industry employes
32,509 jobs in the state of Minnesota.
- Minnesota
consumers pay 22 percent less for sugar than consumers in other developed
countries.
- $1,717,300,000
of economic activity is generated in Minnesota each year by the U.S. sugar
and corn sweetener industries.
North Dakota
- 13,202
jobs are available to North Dakota each year by the sugarbeet industry.
- $1,061,300,000
in economic activity is generated in the state of North Dakota each year
by the U.S. sugar and corn sweetener industries
- Over
1800 growers produce over 5 million tons of beets on 230,000 acres
Processing
These are pictures of harvesting.
First, a topper removes the green leaves and crown from the sugarbeets.
Then, the beets are dug up with specialized harvestors and loaded into
a truck for transport, which is shown in the first picture. Trucks then
haul the beets to piling stations where some beets are stored before they
are taken to the beet processing plant to be processed into sugar. The scond
picture shows the loading of a truck.
This picture shows the
complete process of sugarbeets, starting with the actual plant in the
field all the way to the sugar on your table. If you want specific information
on each step, you can go to http://members.aol.com/asga/
Links
http://blackboard.ndsu.nodak.edu
http://members.aol.com/asga/
http://www.sugarinfo.co.uk/
http://www.panhandle.unl.edu/