The Michigan Ag Today Sugarbeet Harvest Report is brought to you by Betaseed, where research breeds confidence.
Early beet harvest has been happening for a month now in Michigan, and the crop is still holding a lot of promise. 53 percent of Michigan’s sugarbeets are in good to excellent condition, and the crop is coming on strong.
“A number of growers have mentioned to me they’re harvesting 30 ton sugarbeets right now, so that’s fantastic,” said Rob Gerstenberger, Betaseed sales manager.
Cooler temperatures in the forecast are welcome to growers. It starting to trigger the beets to store more sugar. That means sweeter beets.
“This seems to be more like a normal season for us as we cool down into the fall,” said Gerstenberger. “Betaseed varieties 1703 and 1606, which is one of our nematode varieties, are giving growers high sugars and high yield too.”
This weekend’s possible frost conditions aren’t too concerning this early in the season.
“They’ll continue to mature and grow—they’ll be growing until mid-October,” he said.
While beet harvest is in full swing, Gerstenberger is still reminding growers to stay on a fungicide schedule.
“We should try to keep them protected with fungicide up until about the first of October, depending on the varieties,” he said.
Above all, Gerstenberger wants producers to keep safety in mind so this season can be as accident-free as possible.
“If you’re out there harvesting or around the harvest equipment, if you’re on the road delivering your beets to the piling yards or factories, just be safe.”
