Excerpts from the April/May 1982 Issue of The Sugarbeet Grower

    Markwart Assume[s] ASGA Executive Vice Pres. Position — “Luther A. Markwart assumed the position of Executive Vice President of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association as of April 1, 1982.  Markwart’s responsibilities will be to represent the common interest of sugarbeet growers from 13 states to Congress, the Administration and also internationally.  He will also work closely with other farm organizations on a national basis to promote and protect the interests of agriculture.

    “Markwart leaves his position as Executive Vice President of the Farmers and Manufacturers Beet Sugar Association based in Saginaw, Michigan, to accept the national position in Washington, D.C.  He replaces Richard W. Blake, who has retired after 33 years of service to the sugar industry.
    “As a 1977 Michigan State University graduate in business administration, Markwart has a background in sales, public relations and photography.  He is also an instructor of public speaking and human relations for the Dale Carnegie Courses in Saginaw.”

    Beet Tops: A Good Source of Nitrogen -- “Have you ever wondered what those beet tops you leave in the field might do for the next crop?  An experiment at Davis (California) [has] given an answer concerning the contribution of the tops to the nitrogen fertilization of a following wheat crop.
    “A beet crop (US H11) was planted April 22, 1980, received 140 pounds fertilizer nitrogen (N) per acre, and was harvested October 9.  The harvest was by hand with the tops being cut off just below the oldest living leaf.  The crop produced 42 tons of roots (12.7% sucrose) and 16 tons of tops per acre.  Tops were removed from some plots; but in others they were rototilled into the top 4 inches of soil on November 10.  On November 11 the area was fertilized for Anza wheat, which was planted on November 12.  The mature wheat was harvested June 22, 1981. . . .
    “Where tops were incorporated, they furnished the equivalent of 40 pounds of fertilizer N for wheat production; an additional 80 pounds of fertilizer N were needed to maximize economic return.  When tops were not incorporated and were removed from the field, 120 pounds of fertilizer N were necessary for maximum economic yield.”

    Nor-Am Introduces New Herbicide, Betamix® -- “Nor-Am Agricultural Products, Inc., is introducing Betamix®, a new broad-spectrum sugarbeet herbicide, according to H. Broughton Smith, Product Manager, Herbicides, for the company.
    “Betamix, a selective post-emergence herbicide, controls a wide range of weeds such as wild mustard, lambsquarters, redroot pigweed and kochia that infest sugarbeet plants.  The product is a ready-to-use 50:50 mix of Nor-Am’s Betanal® (phenmedipham) and Betanex® (desmedipham), the two largest selling sugarbeet herbicides throughout the world, including Russia . . . .
    “ ‘Betamix was developed as a convenience for growers,’ explained Smith.  ‘Approximately 50 percent to 60 percent of the sugarbeet growers were mixing [Betanal and Betanex] to control a large number of weeds more effectively.  Between the two, these products control 18 different types of weeds.  The application of Betamix achieves the same results, with the added advantage of a premixed herbicide.’ ”

    News in the Sugar Industry -- “Sugar, once king of Hawaii’s economy and the catalyst that resulted in the multiracial mix on these tropical isles, is in serious trouble, industry and union officials say.
    “The industry is looking to state and federal governments for help in surviving the erratic swings in sugar prices of recent years, which saw the industry earn $200 million in 1980 and then lose $83 million in 1981.  A similar loss is expected this year by the industry, which is now the state’s third largest behind tourism and defense.
     “ ‘The sugar industry in this state is presently in a precarious financial position,’ says Robert H. Hughes, president of the 100-year-old Hawaii Sugar Planters Association.  ‘As a consequence, the state is facing a significant change in its economy both now and in the future.’
     “The sugar industry employs 30,000 people, pays 10 percent of the state’s revenues and provides the tourist industry with scenic expanses of lush cane fields, Hughes recently told the state Senate Committee on Agriculture.
    “For 40 years, from 1934 to 1974, prices for American sugar were stabilized under the U.S. Sugar Act, which used import fees to protect domestic producers from low-cost competition by foreign producers.  Congress allowed the Sugar Act to die in 1974, and the price for raw sugar in the American market has been on a pogo stick ever since.
    “The immediate impact was a surge in the price to 65 cents a pound in 1974.  It then plunged to 9 cents in 1976, rebounded to 44 cents in 1980 and now is back down to about 16 cents.  The Hawaiian companies say it costs them 19.2 cents a pound to produce sugar.”

    Great Western Announces Cease of Operations for 3 Beet Plants -- “The Great Western Sugar Company has announced that beet processing plants at Ovid, Colorado; Bayard, Nebraska, and Fremont, Ohio, will not operate in 1982.  The company also announced that acreage in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming and Nebraska will be cut by 37%.”