What a difference a year can make. Last year at the start of the planting season, sugarbeet growers worried about excessive moisture, a cool spring, flooding, and their ability to get a crop planted in time. This year they face opposite conditions, with unusually warm temperatures and very dry conditions the norm. If these conditions persist into the near future, many growers will begin planting sugarbeets earlier than usual.
"In a normal year, growers start planting by the 20th of April," says Russ Fullmer, Sidney Sugars Agriculture Manager. "However, this year I expect to see early planted fields unless it gets wet very soon. Growers want to get the crop in so they can take advantage of any rain that may fall."
Sidney Sugars agriculturists had not quite completed the contracting process by press time, but Fullmer expects all growers who want contracts will have them signed and in place by early April. "At this point, we think we'll have between 32,000 and 33,000 contracted acres," he remarks. "Last year we had 32,000 contracted acres but with the flooding, we lost acreage."
This year the factory has lost some beet acres in some areas due to oil activity, but the company has picked up some new acres in other locations. "We're losing ground in the northern area of the district, but we are gaining acres in the south around Powder River and Pleasant View, so we are expecting no net loss due to the oil boom," Fullmer comments.
Over the past few months, Sidney Sugars has conducted grower meetings throughout the district to discuss several issues, including reminding growers who plan to grow Roundup Ready beets that they still need to follow the rules put in place last year. "We've held grower meetings and we went through grower practices, trends, and recommendations at these meetings," Fullmer says. "As far as Roundup Ready beets go, there are still rules in place that we must abide by, so we did some retraining to remind growers what they need to do to stay in compliance."
He adds, "We are hoping for a final decision on Roundup Ready beets this summer."
Fullmer hopes for rain in the near future and he also hopes the season goes well for growers. "I wish everyone luck and that growers all get a good crop this year," he concludes.
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