Warm summer weather, coupled with plenty of moisture, has allowed beets to grow well this past month. Due to bad weather in early spring, however, Russ Fullmer, Sidney Sugars Incorporated agriculture manager, expects a light tonnage year even if the weather remains warm and sunny for the next few months.
“The beets are growing well with lots of water, and the heat is good,” says Fullmer. “Beets love the mid 80 or lower temperatures; the 90º and higher temperatures shuts them down a bit during the day, but on the whole, beets are putting on tons with the sunshine and heat.”
He continues, “The crop was planted late on the whole, as we had a lot of acres planted in late May. We also lost close to 4,000 acres because of flooding and the inability to plant wet fields. The first root samples indicate the lightest tonnage we’ve seen in five years, at 23.4 tons per acre, so we are below average, but we knew we would be.”
Fullmer hopes that the warm weather continues through August and that beets grow accordingly. “We hope to see a big growth spurt when we take our next root samples in a few weeks,” he notes. “We still have two full months left for beets to grow and hopefully they put on a ton a week, which is normal for beets under good growing conditions.”
Fullmer points out that on the bright side, the expected light tonnage will be counteracted by strong sugar prices, so growers may see good payments in the fall.
Cercospora has reared its ugly head this summer, so spray planes have been dusting affected areas to keep the disease in check. “Hot humid conditions have allowed the conditions that bring on Cercospora,” Fullmer comments, “We have our weather monitor units, the Hoboes, out and the Cercospora ratings are high. Savage and north have seen the start of Cercospora so growers are trying to spray early and stay ahead of the disease. We know it is out there, so we need to keep watch and have timely sprayings. There aren’t as many planes in the area so we need to get ahead and stay on top of it.”
He adds, “We’ve also seen some Fusarium and some Rhyzoctonia in certain fields.”
The Savage area also received a few hail storms this season, with varying degrees of damage. “The storms weren’t devastating but we saw anywhere from 30-70% defoliation,” Fullmer says. “30% isn’t too bad, but 70% is quite a bit. South of Savage also got some hail, with 30-40% defoliation.”
Growers have scrupulously adhered to all the rules and regulations set out by government agencies for growing Roundup Ready beets. Inspectors have been out randomly checking fields and have found growers in compliance. “Inspectors are in their second tier of inspections,” Fullmer remarks. “There is one inspection every month with inspectors conducting a random sampling. They are mainly looking for bolters, but growers have been out scouting fields to remove any bolters they find. We haven’t heard of any problems with Roundup Ready beets.”
Sidney Sugars crews are working at a few of the pile grounds to get them ready for harvest. “Our construction program is doing some landscaping and making a few changes at Culbertson to set things up more to our liking,” Fullmer says. “We’re also putting in a new long scale at Savage. Savage was the only station without the capability of handling semis, but with the installation of the scales, the Savage pile ground will have that capability for this year’s harvest.
Reader Comments(0)