Lantic Sugar and the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers should know by next week how many acres of sugar beets will be grown in southern Alberta.
Andrew Llewelyn-Jones, agricultural fieldman for Lantic, said as of Tuesday afternoon, discussions were still ongoing with the growers, discussions which were slated to wrap up soon.
And while there is an unknown element to the 2011 growing season, Llewelyn-Jones added 2010 finished on a positive note, despite a very rough year. Mother Nature was not kind to growers, with a cool, wet spring and a summer that was less than ideal, but the weather co-operated in the winter for a smooth processing campaign.

Earlier this month, federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture met in Toronto to discuss ways to better foster sustainable market opportunities, allowing producers and industry to continue to stimulate the Canadian economy.
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, federal Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz outlined where the government was focusing resources for agriculture in 2010-11.
“There’s no question that 2010 brought it’s share of challenges for Canadian farmers, particularly relating to weather. The Growing Forward Framework was built to tackle real issues in the agricultural sector and deliver innovative, tangible results that can pay dividends to farmers in the future. And it has delivered — in less than two years our governments have initiated more than 100 projects to help the industry maximize resources, innovate, reduce input costs and continue to drive our economy.”