No-Till Sugarbeet Foray Paying Off

For Wyoming Grower Keven Keller

Keven Keller in one of his 2013 no-till sugarbeet fields north of Worland, Wyo.

Keven Keller is part of that very small fraternity known as “No-Till Sugarbeet Growers.” Nearly all of the Worland, Wyo., producer’s 2014 beet acreage is no-till. This season’s crop follows on the heels of a very successful initial no-till beet experience in 2013.

Keller remembers specifically when and why he decided to give no-till beets a shot. The harvesting of one of his 2011 corn fields left a lot of ruts – especially in one field corner where the ground was heavier. “I worked it eight or nine times in order to get a good seedbed [for the next year’s beets]; that’s a horrendous expense. Then I planted and we irrigated. And when I harvested, those beets yielded 10-plus tons less [than the remainder of the field]. So it (trying no-till) became a ‘no-brainer’ for me.”

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Keller’s no-till beets follow corn in his rotation.

The 2013 experience went so well that Keller actually ended up being recognized as Wyoming Sugar Company’s top producer last year. The factory average yield was 29.3 tons per acre, with an average sugar of 15.02%. Keller’s top field went 40.3 tons with 16.0% sugar; another ran 34.9 tons with 16.08% sugar; and his third no-till beet field came in at 38.6 tons and 15.86% sugar. He planted his fourth 2013 beet field conventionally, and that one, by comparison, yielded 29.9 tons with a 16.31% sugar.

The Washakie County grower’s no-till beets follow corn. Not having to work the corn ground several times to prepare the beet seedbed has been a major benefit, Keller states. “In our area, you can’t do much to the ground after the corn comes off, because by then it’s either frozen or soon going to be,” he says. “Then, in the spring, the ground is so wet under the corn residue that I’d probably be close to a month later [getting the beets planted] if I worked it sufficiently. Plus, there’s the soil compaction from the tillage passes.

“Fuel costs are huge, too, with that many passes. Also, there’s the time it takes and the wear and tear on equipment.” Leaving the heavy corn residue has not delayed his beet planting due to slower-to-warm soils, according to Keller. “It seems I’m planting right in there with the first guys — and that soil has good moisture,” he says. “Plus, the earthworms are amazing.”

Keller, who flood irrigates his sugarbeets,
says that on his no-till fields “the water comes out cleaner than it is going in” — and there’s less runoff. The no-till approach also has cut down on the amount of water he’s had to apply in both 2013 and so far in 2014 — probably by 20% overall, he estimates. Better retention of moisture in his clay loam soils “is huge,” he affirms. 

Keller plants his sugarbeets with a Milton unit. Other than taking off its depth bands, he has made no modifications for seeding into no-till conditions. He spread dry urea this year and also ended up side-dressing his beets.

While Keller says he’s not yet experienced any downside to raising no-till beets, he likewise knows it’s still a relatively new practice for him. “Is there going to be a failure? It could happen. But if I can get them planted and a good stand emerges, I’m in good shape.

“Last year was the best beets I’ve ever raised,” he says. “If I can do this and end up with even an average or better crop, I think I’m ahead, considering what I will have saved in time and fuel costs.

“I want everyone to have a good crop, and everyone has to do what they believe will work best for them on their farm,” Keller summarizes. “For me right now, that happens to be no-till beets.” 
- Don Lilleboe


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