Sugarbeet Feature Stories

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% of the crop was harvested and pile.

The company-wide average for the crop was 30.3 tons per acre and 17.97% 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.

By Mike Spieker | Photos by Mohamed Khan.

​Editor’s Note: In the November/December 2016 issue, we recapped the severity of Cercospora during the 2016 growing season throughout North Dakota and Minnesota. In 2017, the disease was much less significant in some areas. Several factors played into that result, such as management and/or weather. In this article, we cover Cercospora’s effects on the 2017 growing season from northern North Dakota to southern Minnesota. ​

By Mike Spieker

In 1889, North Dakota became the 39th state in the union when President Benjamin Harrison signed the bill that brought the upper half of the Dakota Territory into statehood. Eight years before that, Schatzke Farms was founded when Johan (pronounced John) Schatzke packed up and set sail across the Atlantic Ocean from his native Germany. He trekked across the east coast and the great plains before settling south of the brand new town of Wheatland, which lies on the western edge of the Red River Valley of North Dakota – about 30 miles west of Fargo. ​

Editor’s Note: Abby Mueller is the daughter of David and Patricia Mueller of Cummings, ND.  David is on the Board of Directors for the American Crystal Sugar Company, Hillsboro District.  She is attending North Dakota State University, with a major in Agribusiness and a minor in Crop and Weed Sciences, and she plans to graduate in May of 2019.

Below, Abby outlines her summer as the Bill Cleavinger intern with the ASGA. ​

Last year, Cercospora leaf spot throttled sugarbeet regions across the upper Midwest. Forecasts anticipated Cercospora severity to be equally, if not worse, in 2017. However, things aren’t too terrible in North Dakota and Minnesota as the calendar shifts from July to August. ​

By Mike Spieker

Nowadays there are many challenges at the hands of the agriculture industry. Perhaps one of the most difficult issues it has to overcome has been the negative public perception of agriculture over the last several years. From anti-pesticide campaigns to non-GMO movements, the conception of the American farmer is rapidly deteriorating. As more and more people become urbanized, the disconnection between themselves and agriculture has increased, which only makes the problem worse. ​

By Mike Spieker
​
Beet sugar is used many products across the country every single day. One particular use that probably does not come to mind right away would be the adult beverage industry. Ben Brueshoff is trying to change that mindset, however, with his brand new vodka brand, BĒT Vodka. With the title carrying the phonetic reading of “beet”, this vodka proudly displays where its roots are from; sugarbeets. ​