OpenFields

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris, a member of the Chenopodiaceae family,) is a hardy biennial root crop containing a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production, and is harvested after the first growing season.

In the UK, beet harvesting is now entirely mechanical. The beet harvester lifts the root, and removes excess soil from the root in a single pass over the field. Beets left for later delivery are formed into clamps, in which straw bales are used to shield the beets from the weather. Provided the clamp is well built with the right amount of ventilation, the beets do not significantly deteriorate. Beets that freeze and then defrost produce complex carbohydrates that cause severe production problems in the factory.