K99 has teamed up with LaSalle Oil to “Celebrate Colorado’s Farmers and Ranchers". Since the 1920s Weld County has been the state leader in sugar beet production and sugar beet acreage.  By the 1940s, upwards of 150,000 acres of sugar beets would be harvested in Weld County alone. As livestock feeding and dairy operations starting moving into the region, corn became the dominant crop and acreage declined in other crops.

The Drop Off of Sugar Production in Weld County

In 1969, the production of sugar beets hit its peak in northern Colorado. It was also one of the worst years in history for the crop. Major winter storms moved into the area in early October of that year at about the time the sugar beet harvest was just getting started. The second of those storms left 16 inches of snow in Greeley. But it got worse from there. Plunging temperatures froze several thousand acres of beets in the ground and the Great Western Sugar Co. was forced to shut down factories when it became unable to process frozen beets.

Great Western Sugar Factory in Longmont
The Longmont Channel via YouTube
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While the beet acreage has declined significantly, Weld continues to produce about 60 percent of those grown in Colorado.

Celebrating Northern Colorado's Farmers and Ranchers is brought to you exclusively by LaSalle Oil Company. Established in 1991 as a provider of bulk oils and fuels in the Northern Colorado area, LaSalle Oil is committed to providing only the highest quality products and services to our customers. For more information about Northern Colorado’s premiere oil and fuel distributor please visit LaSalleOil.com.

LaSalle Oil
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