2010 Focus Areas 03/07/2010
 
ASGA Executive Vice President Luther Markwart
Outlines Association Priorities for Coming Year
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In what areas will the American Sugarbeet Growers Association be focusing its efforts during the coming year? Luther Markwart, ASGA’s longtime executive vice president, updated members on several of the association’s top 2010 priorities during the group’s annual meeting in early February.
     • Crop Insurance — ASGA has worked for several years toward the removal of stages for sugarbeet crop insurance. That effort, which began with a pilot project in Minnesota, has now culminated in stage removal in all U.S. sugarbeet states except California (whose growers typically do not take out crop insurance on beets).
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Why the Beet Sugar Processing
Sector Is So Concerned
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This chart compares the levels of annual greenhouse gas emissions (as of 2007) that come from various industries, including sugarbeet processing. The beet sugar sector — at 4.3 million metric tons of CO2 — is very minor compared to the other noted industries, both “covered” and “not covered.”
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Results from Year One of Idaho Strip-Tillage Study
By Amber Moore, Don Morishita & Oliver Neher*
         The introduction of strip tillage to sugarbeet production in southern Idaho has brought challenges as well as opportunities to local beet growers.  One challenge is accounting for chaff (residue) trails left behind by combines.  These trails create uneven distribution of residue throughout the field, which can be a challenge for ensuing crop production with strip tillage.       

         Specifically, growers are concerned that the areas with little residue will be droughty and more susceptible to weed growth, while areas with heavy residue coverage may have more fertilizer and herbicide binding in the residue — and more soil-borne disease pressure under a cooler, more-moist and higher-carbon soil environment.
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