The sugar beet processing facility in Taber, Alta. is the only one in Canada
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A partnership between Alberta farmers and a local processing facility will continue for three more years.
Rogers Sugar announced a contract extension with the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers (ASBG) on Apr. 20.
The company’s facility in Taber, Alta. is the only sugar beet processing facility in Canada, which highlights the importance of the agreement, said Melody Garner-Skiba, executive director of ASBG.
“There is no other option for processing sugar beets in Canada, and it has to be a win-win because we’re partners in this industry,” she told Farms.com today. “With this renewed agreement our farmers and Rogers Sugar have stability in the industry, so they can make the necessary investments into their respective operations.”
The extended partnership also gives Alberta growers more options for their crop rotations.
Producers averaged 28.51 tonnes of sugar beets per acre and received $52.69 per tonne in 2014, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry reported. Producers grossed about $1,502 per acre of sugar beets that year.
Removing those potential revenues would hurt the ag industry, Garner-Skiba said.
Farmers have “been growing sugar beets in Alberta since the early 1900s and this crop has been a foundational crop for many of the multi-generational farms in the province.”
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