Sugarbeet Harvest and Weed Control Update
Good day, and welcome to the University of Minnesota crop cast. I'm your host, Dave Nicolai. I'm a University of Minnesota Extension Educator in field crops, and I'm here today along with our special guest, doctor Tom Peters. Tom is extension, weeds specialist in terms of in sugar beets, and he is operating for both North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota. Tom, we're almost here to the what I would call the real fall of the year yet, but it doesn't really feel that way.
Speaker 1:I know the calendar's flipped over, but temperatures are warm. Is is that causing some concern amongst our sugar beet growers and our factory situations at this point in time?
Speaker 2:Dave, thanks for having me today. What a wonderful fall day, and you're right. The last 2 weeks or so, sure seem like a continuation of of summer. Certainly, a lot warmer than normal and certainly not fall conditions. So so, two things about our conditions, our our warm weather.
Speaker 2:So, first of all, number 1, those conditions, the dry weather, the warm weather are good for sugar accumulation. The second part of it is, is we've been going through what we call the pre harvest phase. So beets are harvested and within 2 days, they go through the factory, so there's no piling of these beets. For stockpile harvest, we need cooler temperatures, So we'd like to start harvest October 1st, October 2nd, but we're gonna have to delay harvest, stockpile harvest, if we still have temperatures in the eighties. That's just way too warm to be piling beets.
Speaker 1:Does it have an effect on sugar content or is that already been predetermined based upon what kind of a growing season we have?
Speaker 2:Well, as I mentioned a few minutes ago, sugar is accumulating every day. We have dry and and good growing conditions. So, sugar is still changing Dave, we're adding sugar and and that's a good thing. The the challenge is being able to get them out of the ground and store them proper properly and and that's what the co ops keeping an eye on.
Speaker 1:Is there much difference between what I would traditionally say the Red River Valley, plants in terms of their harvest and their sugar versus say for example Southern Min or Southern Minnesota down in Renville?
Speaker 2:I think the co ops in general follow the same protocol, so they're looking at air temperatures for storage. I don't see the the rules any different for Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar as compared to Crystal, Dave?
Speaker 1:How I mean, we mentioned how cold it has to be typically for good storage. What kind of a temperature Fahrenheit, would you hang your hat on, so to speak, when things can really get started in earnest?
Speaker 2:So the co ops measure both air temperature and also temperature at the roots. So they'll literally use a machine to get the root temperature, and, and they know those numbers. I'm not as well versed with those, but both of those components are managed daily during harvest. And, Dave, it's possible that harvest can occur in the morning, but if it gets too warm, they'll shut it down in the afternoon.
Speaker 1:Are people optimistic so far about the yields and the sugar content or again is that's going to be different by geography?
Speaker 2:It is going to be different by geography. So what I mean by that is, we had a tremendous amount of rain this year in some places. Southern Minnesota Beach Sugar Co op, for example, received what I would call excessive rain in June, July, even parts of August. So we have fields where we've got a 45 ton crop, Dave, on one end, but on the other end of the field, we have virtually nothing just because of how wet it was. So so that's one extreme, and as I mentioned, that's more prevalent in in Southern Minnesota beet sugar.
Speaker 2:In general, as we go north to the northern part of the Red River Valley, we saw less rainfall. So I think the fields are more consistent, more uniform, and maybe the yields aren't as high, but at the field level, they're certainly more consistent as you go north.
Speaker 1:Let's switch gears and talk a little bit about this year's weed problems in sugarbeets, and and what are some things that that you noticed? Maybe some are unusual or not. And then maybe we can segue in and talk a little bit more about next year. But let's let's talk about 2024. What were some of the weed challenges?
Speaker 2:Well, I I have a reputation for talking a lot about waterhemp. So we've got to start by talking about waterhemp, Dave. One good thing about the rainfall events that I mentioned a few minutes ago, is it activated our pre emergent herbicides. I would say in fields where water hemp is identified as our most important weed, 90% of those fields get a pre emergent herbicide. And I can tell you, we had sufficient herbicide to activate the pre's.
Speaker 2:The problem Dave was, is the rains continued and we challenge we had challenges with getting our in season, applications. We call those lay by sprays. We had challenges getting them on in a timely manner, but for the most part, Dave, I think we had pretty good waterhemp control. Now now, I wanna I wanna segue to your other to the other important weeds. Now, wetter than normal, maybe cooler than normal soil temperatures in April, May and I'm going to carry that over into early June, Dave.
Speaker 2:Lead to more kosher and more common ragweed. And, I would suggest to you that common ragweed is our most important weed of the year this year, mostly because the ragweed continued to germinate well into June, maybe even even the early part of July. So it escaped some of the sprays that we made and those plants are are, are making seed right now.
Speaker 1:Does herbicide, tolerance or herbicide resistance play into this, and sometimes on uncommon ragweed, and to some degree, kochia? And maybe elaborate on some of the things that we've been talking about in the weed science circles in terms of, more of a kosher problem, developing in the future?
Speaker 2:So let's let's continue with with with ragweed first. Yes, our population is glyphosate resistant, but we have an extremely effective herbicide in sugar beet called Stinger Herbicide, the active ingredient clopyrrolid. And, our growers typically make 2 applications, usually at about the 2 leaf, usually and and then followed by the 6 leaf stage. So those are early season applications. Matter of fact, our label doesn't allow applications after the 8 leaf stage.
Speaker 2:So we do have a good strategy for common ragweed control, provided we don't have those late season germinators. Kosia is a little trickier, Dave. Another weed that's glyphosate resistant For growers that identify kosha as their most important weed, number 1, you need to use a full rate of ethafumizate herbicide. Lots of trade names Nortron, Ethatron, Maxtron, you need to use Ethafumizate preemergence if you have Cocha control. Number 2, we are going back and re approving, reusing one of the oldie but goodie herbicides that we've used historically.
Speaker 2:The active ingredient is called Phenmetafam. Years ago, farmers called it betanol. We're calling it Spinade today. Now, the thing with Spinade is, is it has to be applied to small wheats. So, we're going out and counting the number of kochia leaves when we get 5 leaves depending on growth stages, we're making an application.
Speaker 2:And I'll say this, environmental conditions are also important for the application. And then, we're making repeat applications of Spin Aid on about 10 day intervals. And a lot of our growers made at least 3 applications this year to get season long post emergence kochia control.
Speaker 1:In terms of growing sugar beets, maybe you can really tell our listeners a little bit about the fact that we're not growing them on an every other year situation. There's a longer rotation. And we think about weed control. And I'll go back to kochia here. What are some things and maybe some extent, waterhemp too but certainly, keeping in mind, can growers do in other crops, either before or after, to probably negate to some extent, you know, that population?
Speaker 1:And then also maybe segue into, there's some other herbicides that are used in other crops that have also developed, had resistance issues with, with kochia. And, I remember a conference, that we attended, you and I did in January in Fargo. And we talked a little bit about the movement out of Canada, Montana, going across North Dakota. And in the next couple years, it's going to become an endemic weed more and more in northern Minnesota. What are some things that maybe some of our coworkers are finding too in regards to this weed that certainly could affect, sugarbeets?
Speaker 2:So first of all, Dave, we've talked a lot about herbicides so far. This integrated pest management approach is extremely important in sugar beets. Most sugar beet growers have sugar beet in their field 1 year and 4. That means we have 3 other crops or 3 other years where we can grow crops and potentially use other active ingredients. Number 2, we've got to consider weed biology.
Speaker 2:So, in the case of kochia, generally, kochia seed is viable only 1 to 2 years. So, that means, if you do a good job of controlling Kosia, 2 years before sugar beet, maybe the soybean year, and then, 1 year before sugar beet, maybe the spring wheat or the corn year, you can generally do a pretty good job of controlling kochia and sugar beet. The challenge, Dave, is is when we have a breakdown in those other crops, and I can tell you that in 2023, we had some wheat fields where there was a lot of kochia in. That kochia goes to seed, and that means we're gonna have to fight it in the sugar beet year. Now the second part of your question had to do about those other herbicides used in other crops and resistance challenges.
Speaker 2:And and one very good example, sticking with kochia, is PPO Herbicides. Site of action 14 Herbicides. So herbicides like Sharpen and Valor, Authority Products. Unfortunately, we've seen the advent of resistance with that family of herbicides, and that's changing the way we have to manage kochia and the crop rotation.
Speaker 1:Well, it's it's certainly been a concern, obviously, in parts of Canada, and it was, obviously researched very well by coworkers in North Dakota. But also, what I have noticed too in terms of that is just the movement of kosher, not just into western Minnesota, but all through central Minnesota and even down into southeastern Minnesota. So, not necessarily that it's the same stature as waterhemp, but it's very interesting to see its movement along railroad tracks and other types of things and, into non crop areas per se. Maybe let's touch back on waterhemp for a little bit in terms of that. But, you know, certainly we've gotten some good products out there, integrated pest management, but, you know, we come to this fall.
Speaker 1:And we come to our harvest season. Anything that you can comment about, you know, about, you know, not running your combine through there, or dealing with weed seed, and and so forth, even in stubble fields, just in general, in terms of an integrated approach here.
Speaker 2:Yep. So I've been telling our growers in August September, you've done a wonderful job of controlling weeds all season in your wheat fields. Don't let the fields green up and make waterhemp seed in September October. So the really interesting thing about waterhemp is it can be 4 inches tall, Dave, and make seed. It doesn't take a long time to make seed.
Speaker 2:Matter of fact, after it flowers, in 2 weeks, we have viable seed again. So the first step after wheat harvest was to manage the stubble. And, there were different approaches depending on growers. Some of them used herbicides, some of them used tillage. Number 2, we do get some predation.
Speaker 2:Field mice, crickets, other animals do feed on on some of those weed seeds. So we are not always in a big hurry to do tillage right away. But number 3, we do wanna make sure if if, tillage is part of the plan, and for most growers it is, that we do have fall tillage to remove whatever other, germinating weed species we have.
Speaker 1:You know, we talk about, weed seed movement and so forth. It's a foreign material in soybeans, and, there are some a lot of things that soybean growers can do. Of course, we don't want that in terms of export, as well. Sugarbeets being a little bit different. But the same thing goes in terms of running machinery, tillage, moving things around.
Speaker 1:We'd see it can be moved in a number of different ways, and it obviously is. You know, even we haven't had a lot of recent rains, but when we have overflow over the land in terms of water movement, that's another opportunity, with that. So as we can are thinking about next year already here, and farmers are planning and getting their seed needs, whether it's in corn, soybeans, they'll probably know or have a good idea on rotation on where sugar baits are. What are some things that they need to keep in mind about in terms of integrated management and or herbicide selection or tolerance and so forth in terms of input selection for 2025 and and their processes?
Speaker 2:Lots to visit about here, Dave. The first thing I I would encourage is take good records. Have good records of the pesticides that you use this year on the farm, especially in fields that are in sequence with sugar beets. And the reason I say that is we wanna be absolutely sure that the rotational restrictions for those herbicides allow sugar beet to be a 2025 crop. Number 2, make sure you have good records of what weeds you had in those fields.
Speaker 2:So it's interesting, we we we we cut our crop off the field. We do tillage. And now our our our slate is black again. And sometimes we forget about the weeds that we had in those fields. Take good records.
Speaker 2:Identify your most important weed and your second most important weed, and then during the winter, put together an integrated plant. What are you going to do that combines the use of herbicides, maybe tillage and cultural practices, so that you could manage weeds not only in the sugar beet crop but other crops that are in in the field rotation. And I I like to tell growers, use the winter meetings. Use that time that you have to prepare your strategy. The days of going to the field in May June and saying, what a beautiful calm day for spring.
Speaker 2:I think I'm gonna go out and spray roundup on my roundup ready crops. Those days are over, Dave. We need to plan a strategy and then implement that strategy as we carry out the 2025 growing season.
Speaker 1:Any comments on strategy of pre, post situations in terms of that in sugar beets? Definitely, is this gonna be a 2 pronged or a 3 pronged approach as we go forward in here, obviously, if you have waterhemp and that type of thing in in your planning for sugar beets in 2025?
Speaker 2:I would argue that if you have if if if a grower has glyphosate resistant, kochia, ragweed or waterhemp, all 3 of them. They are gonna wanna start with a pre herbicide. And especially for common ragweed and kochia, it's going to be ethafumizate. So the pre herbicide is the foundation for weed control. After that, it's going to be an in season program.
Speaker 2:Most of our sprays and sugar beet are made from the 2 leaf to the 6 or 8 leaf stage. And that can be 2 applications, in some cases, 3 applications.
Speaker 1:So, as we are concluding here, anything else that we didn't touch on, in terms of this situation with sugar beets? Or just in general and in in weed control, in in terms of that going into the area? We're having a dry fall so far this year. We don't really know what we're going to have for for more fall moisture. You know, technically we probably could go into the into the winter dry.
Speaker 1:Is that going to have an impact here or you just have your regular plans?
Speaker 2:That's a good question and I think we're gonna have to see what the rest of fall looks like and maybe how much snow we get and and when that snow melt occurs. I wanna emphasize again Dave, follow the labels. Some of our labels say unfrozen soil. So generally, in Minnesota Eastern North Dakota, we have frozen soil in November, December, January, February, maybe even March. So don't count November March.
Speaker 2:You're gonna make a mistake and potentially have some, concerns with with possible injury. The second thing that comes to mind as I reflect, it's it's about how resilient weeds are. I was feeling really good in May June when we had all of that activating herbicide. And then mother nature threw us a curveball that continued to stay wet. And it just teaches me that weeds are programmed to reproduce, to make seeds.
Speaker 2:So you have to be really really timely with making applications. Unfortunately, when weeds make seed, Dave, that means that we have to go back and put together 2, 3, 4 years maybe even longer with common ragweed. We need those number of years of good weed control, in order to clean up our fields again. So don't allow that to happen.
Speaker 1:Okay. Thank you very much, Tom, for taking the time to visit with us. We do appreciate, your, your time and effort here on University of Minnesota Cropcast. We look forward to visiting with you in the future. I was gonna give you one last word, but I think maybe you've come to that already at this point.
Speaker 2:It's been a pleasure, Dave. Always enjoy visiting with you. Good luck everybody with Harvest and please be safe out there.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
