6-6 IAT SB Outlook

 Just around the middle of April, there was a killing frost that raised havoc on Idaho’s sugarbeet crop. Amalgamated Sugar Co. estimated  that  below freezing temperatures  destroyed about half the crop of sugar beets in the Twin Falls, Glenns Ferry and Mountain Home districts to name just a few spots. I called Mark Duffin was the Executive Director of the Idaho Sugarbeet Growers Association and asked for the latest. “We had an unusually challenging spring. Several severe frosts and a loss of wind. That was real challenging to get the crop up and established. We had a record amount of re-plants, nearly half the crop had to be re-planted. It has been a tough spring but we think it is mostly in the ground right now and we think things are coming along. They did not make it difficult for a grower to make a profit with that kind of a loss? Good question. There is still a lot to be seen  to find out what happens to prices and growing me from here on out.  It was a big challenge on three fronts.  It is an extra cost to re-plant and that is always a challenge, plus just having re-plants in later you are going to get lower yields. One of the biggest concern that we had was having enough  need to re-plant  but the seed company’s came through. Everybody worked together and I think we have  the crop in the ground now.