This is the sugar beet report, bringing you the latest information from NDSU throughout the sugar beet growing season. Today, we're getting an update on the sugar beet activity in the Southern Minnesota area. Here to fill us in is Mark Bloomquist, research director of the Southern Beet Sugar Cooperative. Mark, how did the spring weather affect the start of the sugar beet season in your area?

This spring, SMBSC experienced an early planting window similar to the spring of twenty twenty four. The first planting window opened on April 17, and the cooperative was approximately 80% planted by April 24. This is an excellent planting date for SMBSC, and April planting in our growing area often provide for the potential of above average yields at harvest.

How about crop emergence and sugar beet populations in your area?

Sugar beet populations from the first few days of the planting season are generally good. Many of these fields have populations of 200 sugar beets per hundred foot of row. A brief but intense rainfall event on April 28 in portions of the growing area created some soil crusting issues. During the period of May 9 through the fourteenth, the growing area experienced high temperatures near 90 degrees with strong winds. This dried out the top one and a half inches of soil and created a harsh environment for sugar beet emergence. Beginning May 15 to the twenty first, temperatures dropped to the forties and fifties along with the strong winds. Environmental conditions during the first three weeks in May reduced sugar beet emergence and stand establishment on one third of our acres. In these areas, the average sugar beet stands are 120 to 160 beets per hundred foot a row. There was some replanting of fields, mainly in the western portion of the growing area. These replants will be approximately 5% of our planted acres. There were many windy days during the spring of twenty twenty five. The week of May 11 was extremely difficult across the growing area as winds were 30 plus miles per hour and temperatures were near 90, followed by continued winds and cold temperatures.

Mark, you've been working with cover crops. What are you seeing in the sugar beet fields with spring seeded cover crops?

At SMBSC, we have been supporters of using a spring seeded cover crop for our sugar beets. The cover crop helps prevent soil movement during the strong spring winds, and also helps to protect the small sugar beet plants and maintain greater sugar beet populations. The weather conditions experienced in May again showed the advantage of spring seeded cover crop use. Data from the 2015 through 2024 SMBC Agronomic Practice Database shows increased final sugar beet populations on cover crop fields when compared to non cover crop fields. These cover crop fields also yielded 542 pounds of extractable sugar per acre more than the noncover crop fields. If you did not use a spring seed cover crop of wheat, oats, or barley on your sugar beets this season, you should consider using this practice in 2026.

How has weed management gone so far?

Early season weed control at SMBSC is a tale of timely rainfall to activate the pre emerge herbicides. In areas that received one plus inches of rainfall following application, the weed control looks pretty good. On fields that did not receive adequate rainfall to fully activate the pre herbicide, weed control is more challenging. The warm stretch of weather during May brought waterhemp emergence in many fields. Weed management activities are currently a top priority across the SMBSC growing area.

Mark, any final thoughts?

It looks like we have a good potential for the 2025 sugar beet crop. Best wishes to everyone for a safe and successful remainder of the 2025 growing season.

Thanks, Mark. Our guest has been Mark Bloomquist, research director of Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative. This is the sugar beet report, bringing you the latest information from NDSU throughout the sugar beet growing season.