Farm to Table- Sugar's story starts in the field.

Sugar 101Sugar's story starts in the field.Where in the United States Does Real Sugar Come From?Sugar, the common name for sucrose, plays a vital role in so many foods and beverages that are part of nutritious, balanced and (not to be forgotten) enjoyable diets. In the U.S., that sugar comes from sugar beets and sugar cane plants grown on farms—and there’s an important reason why.Many fruits, nuts and vegetables contain sucrose, with some containing as much as 10% sucrose! However, nothing tops sugar beets and sugar cane which contain about 16 and 14%, respectively, making them the most efficient way for farmers to grow and harvest sucrose.Sugar beetsSugar beets are a root crop, and they flourish in cooler climates where the soil is rich and the growing season is about five months long. They’re much larger than the beets you might see in the produce section of the grocery store or the ones grown in backyard gardens, weighing a whopping 3–5 pounds when harvested. Sugar beet farms can be...