Recap of 2017 Regional Sugarbeet Production

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As another sugarbeet planting season nears, the Sugarbeet Grower magazine provides a recap of the 2017 growing season. 

By Duane Peters
SIDNEY, Mont. – 2017 started off with drier than expected soil moisture.  As growers started to plant, we all realized that most fields would need to be irrigated to provide moisture to have equal emergence.  We were very thankful for our irrigation project. Irrigation water was available and many growers irrigated. The crop had very uneven emergence due to field dryness. As spring turned to summer, the irrigation became very important.  We had a drier than normal year. Rainstorms were far and few between.  We were three inches below normal for the months of June, July, and August.

Disease levels were very minimal due to dry weather conditions. Sidney Sugars started an early harvest this year, and that went very well.  Harvest started around September 12th.  Full harvest started on October 1st.  We completed harvest on October 26th.  Yield was 31.25 ton per acre and sugar was 17.99{ff5548eb8b7551781742a29b9864cd1703b3791f37ac9790ae42b0c6a6bb7d63}.  Overall, we considered this a very successful growing year.  Beets appear to be storing well for the above normal winter temps.  We expect slice to finish about mid-February.

2017 SUGAR BEET CROP REVIEW: WESTERN SUGAR COOPERATIVE

By Jerry Darnell

DENVER, Colo. – The 2017 growing season started off ahead of normal in all Western Sugar regions except for the Lovell, Wyoming area which had above normal precipitation during planting. The growing region had a full supply of irrigation water.  The cooperative had minimal replant and abandoned acres in all areas.  Sugarbeet diseases and pests were very minimal this year across the cooperative.   

Above normal temperatures in October caused the sugarbeet harvest to be delayed for an extended period of time.  There were several days that no harvest was allowed because of the warm soil temperatures that would not allow for a long term storable sugarbeet in the pile.   Ambient and soil temperatures finally cooled and full harvest was allowed to resume at the end of October.  Early harvest started on August 28th in Billings, Montana and harvest was completed on November 22nd in Fort Morgan, Colorado.   

Yields in the Montana region averaged 36.6 tons per acre, with a 17.41{ff5548eb8b7551781742a29b9864cd1703b3791f37ac9790ae42b0c6a6bb7d63} sugar. Lovell, Wyoming averaged 27.9 tons per acre with a 17.20{ff5548eb8b7551781742a29b9864cd1703b3791f37ac9790ae42b0c6a6bb7d63} sugar.  Nebraska averaged 31.2 tons with a 17.45{ff5548eb8b7551781742a29b9864cd1703b3791f37ac9790ae42b0c6a6bb7d63} sugar and Colorado 35.4 tons with a 17.15{ff5548eb8b7551781742a29b9864cd1703b3791f37ac9790ae42b0c6a6bb7d63} sugar.   Sugarbeet processing is scheduled to be completed in late February/early March.

2017 SUGAR BEET CROP REVIEW: WYOMING SUGAR COMPANY

By Mike Greear

WORLAND, WY – 2017 started off very wet and as a result over half the crop was planted late.  On average the crop was 10 to 14 days behind. Overall, we had great stands and with good weather in June, July and August and the crop tried to catch up, but it just did not get to our new “normal”.

We had planned an earlier than normal harvest to mitigate harvest and pile risk; however, just like last year, Mother Nature had other plans and rain delayed our start up yet again. Nonetheless, we were able to start major harvest activates on the 28th and despite a lot of mud 100{ff5548eb8b7551781742a29b9864cd1703b3791f37ac9790ae42b0c6a6bb7d63} of the crop was harvested and pile.

The company-wide average for the crop was 30.3 tons per acre and 17.97{ff5548eb8b7551781742a29b9864cd1703b3791f37ac9790ae42b0c6a6bb7d63} sugar. Overall, not a bad crop, but we have come to expect higher tonnage.

After harvest, we had great weather for storing beets and crop stored well. Nearly all our remaining beets are on forced-air ventilation and we do not expect much pile loss. The campaign is slated to finish in late January.

                                                                                    Source: Sugarbeet Grower

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