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CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) Area farmers appear to be interested in learning more about the cost associated with the planting and production of industrial sugar beets. Industrial beets are sugar beets bred for the bio-fuels market.

Input on the development of industrial beets as a crop for farmers is being gathered by members from Green Vision Group of Fargo and Iowa-based Heartland Renewable Energy. North Dakota State University is leading the research on the project.

NDSU researcher David Ripplinger says farmer involvement is critical because the choice of a site for a processing plant is dependent on the availability and interest from area growers.

Ripplinger says if a plant is built growers would have to plant about 30,000 acres of beets annually to be processed into a bio-fuel and other by products. He says each plant would produce 20 million gallons of the bio-fuel per year. Each facility would employ about 23 full-time jobs.

Valley City area farmer Roger Triebold says he’s interested in adding the new crop to his planting rotation. He says the economic benefits of this crop for he and other area farmers could be very profitable.

Officials with NDSU say tons per acre and sugar content was high with industrial beets grown in test plots throughout North Dakota compared to sugar beets grown in the Red River Valley for American Crystal Sugar.  

The proposed commercial processing of industrial beets in North Dakota may not be ready until 2017 with the first crop going being planted in the spring of 2017.

Jamestown, Valley City, Carrington, Cando and Langdon are considered primary proposed sites. Another 13 subsequent facilities are being proposed in Cooperstown, Hannaford, Harvey, Oakes, Litchville, Finley, Colgate, Page, Linton, Hazen and Rolla.

An informational  meeting will be held Wednesday, January 29 in Carrington at the Research Extension Center from 9am to 11am.

Other meetings will be in Cando on Wednesday, January 29 at 1pm inside the NDSU Extension Service office and in Landon at the Research Extension Center Thursday, January 30 at 9am.