RR Sugar Beet Seed

[nwmn]

This is a 1 acre plot I drilled last year at only 2#/acre with the smaller seed…

These pics are from the end of July. I had broadcasted some additional brassica mix in the thinner spots around mid-July.

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Mid-December… Looks like I’ve got to pull some pigweed this spring as well…

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February - Still doing some digging here - hope to find some shed antlers when the snow melts…

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That looks beautiful! Yes, great idea. I wish I would have complemented my plantings with full scale top seeding of brassicas. We had a drought and stunted the beets, but they didnt die like corn and beans did. Ha! yes they hammer the beets in the winter, it's incredible. This year has been brutally cold and windy/drifty and they haven't left my plots. I've found one shed next to an oak tree so far, but snow is covering everything else. I bet you'll find at least one in there! Ish, pig weed. I hand picked quarter acre of waist high pigweed in my pumpkins. A week of that in the heat is tough on the back and hamstrings :)

Is your pigweed RR tolerant? I was told that for people with ragweed competition, go ahead and add in stinger if you have it. Only needs an oz per acre and can be tank mixed with gly.

 

[nwmn]

Thanks. Will send you a PM later when you find out. I am going to want probably an acres’ worth this year but maybe more next year.

Thank you for giving us the heads up on this offer.

You bet. I remember seeing this post come up years ago, and wanted to share. I've been helped in these groups by many people and this is my way of giving back even though I may not frequent here as much as I used to.

 

[Wild Thing]

That looks beautiful! Yes, great idea. I wish I would have complemented my plantings with full scale top seeding of brassicas. We had a drought and stunted the beets, but they didnt die like corn and beans did. Ha! yes they hammer the beets in the winter, it's incredible. This year has been brutally cold and windy/drifty and they haven't left my plots. I've found one shed next to an oak tree so far, but snow is covering everything else. I bet you'll find at least one in there! Ish, pig weed. I hand picked quarter acre of waist high pigweed in my pumpkins. A week of that in the heat is tough on the back and hamstrings :)

Is your pigweed RR tolerant? I was told that for people with ragweed competition, go ahead and add in stinger if you have it. Only needs an oz per acre and can be tank mixed with gly.

This field was inundated with pigweed a few years ago but Ive been working at killing it off. I did spray the sugar beets once with the tractor mounted sprayer but I drilled the seed on 15” rows and I was afraid to drive thru there again for fear of running over too many plants. I probably would have nuked a lot more of the pigweed had I sprayed again. It will take some effort to hand pull those that you see in the photo but I have had good success in the past by doing it the hard way like that. I plan to plant a cover crop in this plot in the spring so I wont be able to spray it afterwards, so I hope to get most of the pigweed out of there even if it means pulling it by hand.

We had pretty much drought conitions here in the southern U.P. Of Michigan last year as well. We never got more than 2.5” of rain during any month of the growing season, so I would say my sugar beets faired fairly well under those conditions.

 

[Wild Thing]

BTW - I had a half acre of sugar beets planted in that same field a few years ago. I found 6 shed antlers there in the spring and 5 in another 1/2 acre plot about a half mike away.

 

[Wild Thing]

I have also heard that Stinger is a good herbicide for pigweed but I have not tried it yet.

 

[Wild Thing]

I'm curious about the cost. Saw a few old convos on the webs saying $100 per half acre. But that would be a higher population than what ST said works well.

RR sugar beet seed is generally very hard to come by for food plotters. When you can get it in Michigan the past couple of years the price has been in the area of $200-$250/acre. The price quoted here by nwmn is special for sure at $16/# even if it is the larger seed of which you will have to plant more of.

 

[nwmn]

I was told that the seed is 12-14000 seeds per # for this variety.

 

[Wild Thing]

OK thanks. I would likely drill that sized seed at about 4-5#/acre. Obviously more if broadcasting.

Sending a PM for my order. Thanks again.

 

[Terrific_tom]

Is there any RR sugar beet seed available this year?

 

[Brian662]

Did anyone wind up using this seed and how did it work out?

 

[Mortenson]

I used it and they grew well considering I threw them and mowed down mature rye on top of the seed. Unfortunately my deer liked how the plants tasted too much (too soon) and had them wiped out long before our hunting season began.

 

[Brian662]

I used it and they grew well considering I threw them and mowed down mature rye on top of the seed. Unfortunately my deer liked how the plants tasted too much (too soon) and had them wiped out long before our hunting season began.

I know some people who recommend fencing them in during the growing season, I figured they are similar to a bean field. The bigger, the better to handle some browse pressure. How big was your plot?

 

[Terrific_tom]

Did anyone wind up using this seed and how did it work out?

I planted mine in late May. They germinated well, but then came the drought. We finally got rain in mid August. I gave them a good shot of nitrogen fertilizer and they came on strong, making grapefruit size bulbs. Deer are srill pawing in snow and dirt to get at them.

 

[JoshAnderson]

Not trying to steal this thread... but I'm interested in planting some RR beets next year. What all do I need to know about planting rates for broadcasting. And should I pour fertilizer to them in the spring or top dress nitrogen? As far as diseases and everything my dad used to be a crop consultant and was the sugar beet expert, so I should he able to figure that out.