After they are harvested, beets are hauled to a factory. In the U.K., beets are transported by a hauler, or by a tractor and a trailer by local farmers. Railways and boats are no longer used.
Each load is weighed and sampled before it gets tipped onto the reception area, typically a "flat pad" of concrete, where it is moved into large heaps. The beet sample is checked for:
· soil tare - the amount of non beet delivered
· crown tare - the amount of low sugar beet delivered
· sugar content ("pol") - amount of sucrose in the crop
· nitrogen content - for recommending future fertilizer use to the farmer
From these elements, the actual sugar content of the load is calculated and the grower's payment determined.
The beet is moved from the heaps into a central channel or gulley, where it is washed towards the processing plant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarbeet
Top ten sugar beet producers – 2005 (million metric tons)
France
Germany
United States
Russia
Ukraine
Turkey
Italy
Poland
United Kingdom
Spain
World Total
Agricultural measurement terminology:
1 hectare is 10 000 square metres
1 hectare equals 2,47 acres, making a hectare almost 2,5 times larger than an acre
Inputs and management practices of sugar beet production, by cost group, 2000