Fill me in on Sugar Beets

[roymunson]

In looking here I've seen they're a pretty good deer draw late season. We have pretty high numbers in my area and a season that ends the first week in February. Late season hunting can be incredible if you have good food source. I'm trying to get away from 1000 pound corn piles as its a pain in the butt to replentish every week if you live an hour away, and I'd much rather kill em off of a plot than a pile if I can.

Question 1- it appears that the RR seeds are tough to come by. How come? I picked up that they were made illegal in some places? I'm in Ohio if that makes a difference.

Question 2-Soil composition looked like you need to be 6.0 plus and light on the clay. I'm working on the PH, but think otherwise the makeup is ok. What else do I need to know regarding soil composition?

Question 3- is there a minimum acreage that needs to be planted? Where we're at if we'd plant an acre of beans, it'd be done before august comes around.
Question 4- What kind of soil prep is needed?

I've seen the Drury's use and mix in a lot of sugar beets in their plots. Just looking to see what it'd take and what people think about it as a late season hunting plot as well as something that'll keep feeding after the season into the spring.

 

[yoderjac]

Q1 - Check your Monsanto technology agreement with respect to using RR seed in food plots. Corn and Beans are OK, but some RR seed is excluded from food plot use by the agreement. I don't know about sugar beets. I'd consider PTT as an option. They are a good late season food source here.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[roymunson]

just saw that Merit Seed carries them. They're shop is 5 miles from where I"m currently sitting. I'm next door neighbors with John their main seed guy. This could work

 

[Victor Van Meter]

I planted them 2 years ago in a small kill plot and they were wiped out before they had a chance. Deer loved them.


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[Scott S]

My understanding is that Monsanto restricts RR sugar beet usage in food plots. I have no idea why that is. I'm very curious myself.

 

[roymunson]

My understanding is that Monsanto restricts RR sugar beet usage in food plots. I have no idea why that is. I'm very curious myself.

And the RR beets are worth the price from the sounds of it?

 

[H20fwler]

It took a couple seasons for deer to really start hitting my sugar beets, they are the preferred brassica in my area over turnips and radishes, I usually over seed into corn rows along woods in early August. They hardly touch them until a good freeze then it must change the sugar content in the beets or something and they turn on to them, they eat on them clear into January. Better than beets has been forage chicory for me but the window when they hit it is smaller, seems like they eat it to the dirt within a week or so once it starts getting cold.

 

[Scott S]

And the RR beets are worth the price from the sounds of it?

I have no experience with them at all, but it sure sounds like it

 

[nitro27]

And the RR beets are worth the price from the sounds of it?

RR sugar beets are definitely worth it. I've been fortunate to have been able to plant them for the last 10 years+. Deer browse heavily on the leaves usually starting in July and progress to the tubers in the fall and all winter. The three acres of beets I plant provide approx 40-50 tons of tubers. My plots of beets, beans, radishes, turnips are usually completely bare come spring.