Friday, July 25, 2008

By SANDRA HANSEN
Ag Editor

Once again, Mother Nature has laid a heavy hand on the WyoBraska sugar beet crop.
While recent snowfall was welcomed for its moisture content, the accompanying wind and freezing temperatures contributed to the destruction of 10,000 to 12,000 acres of sugar beets in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming.

According to Jerry Darnell, Western Sugar Cooperative's agriculture manager for the Nebraska district, the trouble started on April 27 when 890 acres of beets in the Gordon area were frozen. This was followed by the snow and wind that tore through the Panhandle on May 1 and 2, making it necessary to replant about one-third of the 2008 crop, the first major Roundup Ready seeding in the Co-op's history.

"We're still assessing the damage," Darnell said Monday. "A lot depends on their stage of growth. About 96 percent of the crop was planted, but not all were Roundup Ready. Right now we're finding seed for the replants, but we want to save as many acres as possible."

As bad as the wind was in Nebraska and Wyoming, Darnell said about 3,000 acres will have to be replanted in Colorado, where the wind swept some fields clean.

With about 90 percent of the 2008 crop planted to Roundup Ready seed, it is going to be a costly fix. According to some estimates, depending on company and variety, growers may have a total investment of as much as $168 per acre, including this replant and original tech fee, with a base insurance replacement payment of $38.50 per acre. Company and any additional coverage would influence those numbers.

Seed companies said replacing that much Roundup Ready seed would be impossible, so most producers will be using regular seed, which will cost a few dollars less per acre.

It will take a few days of warm weather to determine how many of the beets will survive, but Darnell said Tuesday afternoon that the loss will still be 10,000 to 12,000 acres.