April showers may bring May flowers, but they also bring long-term stability to the sugar beet industry in Alberta.
Negotiations between the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers (ASBG) and Rogers Sugar that continued into May have culminated in a successful five-year contract, ensuring continued production from sugar beets grown in southern Alberta.
The length of the contract marks a departure from recent two-year contracts.
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“There are a lot of guys trying to acquire quota, and it gives them a better feeling we are going to be around for a few more years investing in equipment and quota,” said ASBG president Gary Tokariuk.
“I think Rogers had the same feeling — they wanted a contract that they too knew there would be a supply of beets for a long time. It’s a win-win.”
Producers will plant 22,500 sugar beet acres in 2025, down from the 28,000 acres that are normally planted, which is 66 per cent of the original quota.
This year’s price is $66.30 per tonne based on 17.3 per cent sugar.
“Sugar beets have been grown in southern Alberta for over 100 years, becoming a cornerstone of our region’s agricultural legacy,” said Tokariuk in a press release.
“Farming is a family business that depends on long-term vision, sustainability and profitability.”
It’s getting a bit late in the season to plant sugar beets, but Tokariuk said the window is still there for a solid crop and sugar content.
“There’s some guys who like to seed on the 14th of April.… I don’t like to seed until the last week of April, when I know the water is in the canal, so I can water immediately,” he said.
“Really, we are maybe two weeks out (later than normal), but I’ve seeded on the 14th and 15th of May and still had a really good crop.”
The company was also pleased with the agreement.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the Alberta Sugar Beets Growers for another five years. This agreement will help support the needs of our customers in Western Canada,” Mike Walton, president and chief executive officer of Lantic Inc. and Rogers Sugar Inc., said in a press release.
