NW Sugar Beet Growers Expect An Average Crop

Sometimes being average is OK.  And that’s what sugar beet growers across Idaho, Oregon and Washington are expect from this year’s crop.  Samantha Parrott, Executive Director of the Snake River Sugarbeet Growers Association says while yields are expected to be on par with the five-year average, the disease and pest pressures growers are dealing with in 2024 is very low.

“Last year, Cercospora leaf spot was a huge issue for our growers, particularly in the West and we are kind of seeing low disease pressure. Our sugar beet growers have done an awesome job spraying and using preventative measures to combat that disease, and a lot of them have also planted a CR plus seed variety that has some tolerance to that disease as well.”

Another question for sugar beets, and many other Northwest crops this year, the extended heat the region saw in July and August, with multiple days in the triple digits.

“The sugar beets were fine. I think they bounced back just fine from the heat, as long as growers were really proactive on their watering and just made sure that they had their irrigation going, I think our sugarbeets did fine with the heat.”

When it comes to the wildfire smoke this summer, Parrott says she hasn’t heard of any long-term impacts from growers across the region.

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