Saturday 25 November 2017

Sugar harvest completed

The massive field at the back is now harvested, ploughed, harrowed and seeded. Probably spring wheat.  It has taken 4 days, 10 men and they have used about £1million worth of high tech machinery.
It has been a bright and dry day, bit cold at 6C, but we cycled up the road to see the results of their work.
This is one of three piles of beet that will be collected later by road lorries. They bring a whole new load of machinery to each heap. A small loader, a conveyor belt and grader.  On a cold clear day you can hear the thud of the beets landing in the back of lorries.
Only puzzle to us is. The council have closed one lane on the town bypass between us and the nearest sugar processing plant for 9 months. After they have passed our hous
e which route will they take? Because we need to go the other way!

6 comments:

  1. That looks like a typical Fenland view. It does not have the drama of some other parts of the country but I like it all the same. Good picture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are a bit off the true Fen area, it is reclaimed marshland bordering the Wash. In fact our parliamentary area is called "Marshland". It is a lovely part of the world - "industrial agriculture" is the way I describe it.

      Delete
  2. The Bury St Edmunds sugar beet factory was puffing out plenty of steam when we went by on the way to Addenbrookes.
    We are in sugar beet country here now and like you say the rumble of beet into the lorries travels for miles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was cycling along when one passed me the other day - OMG. what a smell close up!!!!

      Delete
  3. I often see the huge piles of sugar beet in the fields around here. Not all are collected many seem to be for fodder and disappear slowly throughout the winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We wondered about that too. Locals tell us that the factory calls it up when needed to feed the 24/7 operation and if not called by Feb the sugar content is not worth processing.

      Delete