Beet sugar in a big way

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Construction got underway early this year by Groat

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~estern to build a new sugar factory to serve~growers in the

three counties astride the border of Colorado and Kansas. The Tri-County project--located at Goodlandt Kansas--wi l l be

completed in time to process beets in the fall of

1968

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The new mill will be the second largest in the Great

Western system of

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beet sugar factories . Its sugar production

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will be in excess of 100 million pounds (~million cwt. bags) . It is a unique project in that tho Tri-County area ·offers

a firmly established beet crop of hiGh quality. From a few

pilot plantings only ten years ago , the crop made gradual but sound expansion to the 22,000 acres planted this spring. Yields and sugar content compare very favorably with beets grown for

years in Northern Colorado.

The Tri-County project embraces Kit Carson County in Colorado and Sherman and 1allace counties in Kansas , in dryland wheat

country subject to marginai rainfall. But with the advent of well irrigation from a vast underground lal<:e, aggres~ve farmers turned to sugar beets. And they turned in a big way.

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l1ith water on the land from more than Q,A,e.:..t-ho..usand wells,

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--with acreage <:'-}l~-~~-en-tp __ r....:01 ov~_d, with techniques and equipment

growers .Plant beet crops averaging

150 acres--a large-am-01:1,nt .for a specialized crop. Several

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planted more than 1, 000~-acres this spring- -backed by the

experience of record.'."""b'r_e.aking production in the last few years •

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At t~e factory, now takinG shape with its steel f ramework,

design features include the latest in beet sugar technology

developed by Great West ern technicians from decades of

successful operations. The Goodland factory will also be

equipped with a beet pulp dryer for producing pelletized

l ivestock feed, with bulk sugar bins for storage of mor e than

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million poundi of _r efined sugar, with advanced process

control s for efficient production, and with cl osed-circuit

systems f or clarifici t ion of waste waters.

Until completion o{ ·t11.0 factory in 196d, sugar beets

-from the -Tri-Qo.unty" a-rea...:-will ··: bo proccss.ed t his fall, as in

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a -e-···G:tea t l</ es tern factories in Northern Colorado o

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