Cool Spring Slows Beet Growth

The sugarbeet crop is developing slower than usual this year because of a cool spring with high winds, according to Amalgamated Sugar Co. in Boise. Emergence is behind the long-term average, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Boise. Usually it's at 100 percent by now. As of June 2 this year, a week later than that 100 percent mark, it was at 99 percent. Replanting was needed on 5 to 6 percent of acres for Amalgamated before a windstorm a couple weeks ago that hit 70 mph in some parts of the state. The damage caused replanting to perhaps 10 percent of acres. Most Amalgamated farmers planted Roundup Ready sugarbeets this year. But seed supplies for the new beet were tight, since this is the first year for commercial planting. Some growers had to replant with conventional beet seed. All across the growing region in Idaho it has been a cold windy spring causing numerous challenges for growers.