‘They’ve Been Pretty Good to Us’ / By Phil Mills, Jr. — “Derek Cantrell has lived near Buhl, Idaho, for 49 years.  And for 30 of those years, he’s been raising sugar-beets and competing with his neighbors for top yields and high sugar levels.
 
“ ‘They’ve been good to us,’ he points out.  ‘Sugarbeets are a pretty stable crop in this area.’

“The decision to raise sugarbeets was based on market stability.  It also gave Cantrell, who farms in partnership with his son, Rick, a chance to ‘specialize in sugarbeet production.’  Cantrell grows about 250 acres of sugarbeets each year, in addition to 70 acres of malt barley, commercial pinto beans for seed and winter and spring wheat. 
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“Although sugarbeets have been good to Cantrell, he knows his success didn’t happen by accident.  ‘It takes tender, loving care,’ he explains.  ‘You have to get involved with each crop you raise.’ . . .

“Cantrell’s sugar level ranges from 15.5 to 17 percent. His average is about 16.4 percent.  Yields vary by field. He has an annual goal of between 22 and 25 tons per acre. ‘You’ll lose tonnage going for high sugar.  But, I figure you can give up two tons of yield for the sugar,’ he adds.”

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Minnesotan Larry McNamara Takes Over as President of American Sugarbeet Growers / By Jim Jones — “Today’s farmers — and certainly sugarbeet growers — cannot afford to be isolated from the rest of the legislative or economic world as far as Larry McNamara, recently elected president of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, is concerned.

“ ‘Our business today is not totally on the farm,’ he be-lieves.  ‘We also need to know there are people directing our future, and rather than allowing someone to dic-tate to you, you should have some
input to that.’

“The association’s new president has been operating a farm south of Bird Island, Minn., since 1954 when we returned home from army service in Korea.  He’s been growing beets since 1968 and now plants 500 acres for Southern Minnesota Sugar Cooperative as part of an extensive farming operation that produces corn, soybeans, wheat and certified seed. 

​Ron Hayes Named President, CEO at American Crystal
“Ron Hayes has been elected president and chief executive officer at American Crystal Sugar Company, following the resignation of Charles Shamel.

“Hayes joined Crystal in 1982 as vice president of operations and was promoted to senior vice president of agriculture and operations in 1985. During his four years at Crystal, Hayes has worked with the cooperative’s factories to improve overall efficiency so that Crystal produces more sugar per day and at a lower cost. . . .
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“Before he joined Crystal, Hayes worked for the General Foods Corporation for 22 years. He spent seven years in research, held management positions in manufacturing for 12 years, and spent three years at the company’s corporate office.”
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Editor’s Note: One of our regular offerings in The Sugarbeet Grower is the “30 Years Ago” page, featuring highlights from the issue that was published 30 years prior to the current issue of this magazine.
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As the schedule in 1985 did not include a November or December issue, we opted to reach back even further into our archives this month — back a half century, in fact, to 1965. The short article excerpts on this page come from The Sugarbeet Grower’s Winter 1965 issue.

Industry Leaders Testify Before Senate, House Ag Committees -- “Calling the nation’s sugar program effective at promoting price stability while operating at no cost to taxpayers, U.S. sugar producers urged Congress to renew the program when it and other farm programs expire at the end of the year. . . . Excerpts from the testimony delivered to Congress by representatives of the domestic sugar industry highlight some of the issues over which there has been controversy . . . .

“Raw Sugar Prices Lower, More Stable: ‘The price of sugar has actually averaged less during the three years the program has been in operation than it averaged for the two years just prior to its enactment. The program also has resulted in stable sugar prices. . . .’ / Gerald Shannon, President, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative

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Effective Control of Weeds Essential to Control Beet Production Costs — “Because weeds like kochia and pigweed are prolific seed-producing factories, effective weed control was never more important, particularly when you put a pencil to the rising costs of hand labor.

“ ‘We know that good sequential herbicide treatments cost about $35 to $40 an acre to apply,’ explains Ed Schweizer, USDA weed control specialist, Colorado State University, ‘whereas hoeing, if you have a heavy weed infestation, may cost $60 to $100 an acre.’

“His research shows that it takes only 2 to 6 weeds per 100 feet of beet row to reduce yields. ‘We also know where a grower uses sequential herbicide treatments, his rows could have more than 6 weeds per 100 feet without suffering serious yield loss because weed growth is suppressed and less competitive,’ he points out. . . .

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