The Sugarbeet Grower has reached a big milestone!  The first issue of this magazine was published 50 years ago this spring, in May of 1963.

lncreased Spent Lime Usage in Southern Minn
Affirmed by University/Co-op Research Results

    The spreading of spent lime (more-technically known as Precipitated Calcium Carbonate, or PCC) on upcoming sugarbeet fields has really taken off during the past decade among Upper Midwest beet growers.  Along with increasing pH and influencing the soil nutrients, the spent lime has been demonstrated to reduce the impact of Aphanomyces and Rhizoctonia root rot in infested fields.

Veteran Grower Gary Mamer Talks About
Raising Sugarbeets in the Imperial Valley

    As of the first of April, sugarbeet growers in the Red River Valley were still waiting for the snowpack to melt and the soil to warm up so they could head out to their fields and get ready to put the 2013 beet crop in the ground.

    The sun hid out for part of the week, but for sugarbeet growers visiting from places like Michigan and the Red River Valley, early February in San Diego still provided a warm respite.
    About 360 beet growers, spouses and affiliated industry traveled to southern California for the 2013 annual meeting of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association.  Along with a lot of one-on-one conversation, they also listened to speakers addressing several timely topics of importance to the nation’s sugar industry.
    ASGA’s 2014 annual meeting is scheduled to take place February 9-11 in Tampa, Fla.       

 Seed Company Leaders Provide Insights on What's in the Pipeline

    To date, the buzz about biotechnology within the sugarbeet sector has focused largely on Roundup Ready® sugarbeets.  First grown commercially in 2007 in north central Wyoming, Roundup Ready beet acreage skyrocketed the following year.  For the past four years, Roundup Ready varieties have been planted on around 95% of total U.S. (and Canadian) sugarbeet acreage as growers have embraced the benefits for their individual farming operations.

    Luther Markwart focused on “take home” messages in his summary remarks toward the conclusion of this year’s American Sugarbeet Growers Association annual meeting.  “What do we tell our growers? What do we do as leaders of this industry?” ASGA’s longtime executive vice president asked the local and regional grower association leaders in attendance.

Units Improve Ease & Accuracy of Calibration

    Back in 2004, University of Nebraska-Scottsbluff agricultural engineer John Smith and his colleagues added an extra dimension to the UN electronic planter test stand program.  The new feature consisted of an “electronic photogate” and corresponding software that provided growers with graphic printouts of their planter units’ seed drop accuracy on a side-to-side basis as well as the standard front-to-back distance spacing.

By Larry Campbell & Allan Cattanach

    Editor’s Note:  The American Society of Sugar Beet Technologists (ASSBT) held its 37th biennial meeting in Anaheim, Calif., from February 27 to March 2.  During that meeting, ASSBT paused to celebrate its 75th anniversary as an organization. 
    To help recognize this milestone, two longtime ASSBT members — Larry Campbell and Allan Cattanach — compiled a history of the American Society of Sugar Beet Technologists.  Campbell is sugarbeet research geneticist with USDA-ARS at Fargo, N.D.  Cattanach, who is American Crystal Sugar Company’s general agronomist, wrapped up a two-year term as ASSBT president at the Anaheim meeting.
    A modestly edited version of that history is provided here.

    More than one million tons of sugarbeet pulp are generated annually by U.S. beet sugar processors.  Finding profitable uses for the biodegradable pulp, which is the leftover residue from sugar extraction, is critical for the long-term economic viability of U.S. agribusiness.

Minn-Dak Growers Achieve Objective at Minimal Cost

    There’s only one thing better than an idea that works effectively when put into action — and that’s an effective idea whose cost is minimal.