FARGO, N.D. — Sugarbeets, which account for about 20% of world sugar production, have been around for centuries. And from the beginning of the crop’s cultivation, the production recommendations were to use intense tillage, Bart Stevens, research leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory in Sidney, Montana, told the World Association of Beet and Cane Growers at their annual meeting in Fargo on June 20, 2024.
The reason for “intense tillage,” he said, was to provide a “firm yet loose seedbed to plant into,” as well as to control weeds.
The tillage has changed somewhat in intensity over the years, but the thought that tillage is necessary for sugarbeets has long remained. But that guidance is rapidly changing, and research is looking at the best ways to further reduce tillage in sugarbeet production, Stevens said.
The WABCG joins national and regional associations of sugarbeet and sugar cane growers at the international level. The organization has 34 member associations and unites 5 million sugarbeet and cane growers from five continents. WABCG says it's present in 32 countries that produce 60% of the world's sugar. The annual conference moves among participating countries and this year was held in Fargo. Red River Valley sugarbeet grower David Thompson serves as president of WABCG. The WABCG president serves three-year terms, and the presidency alternates between sugarbeet and sugar cane growers.
The conference kicked off on June 19, with a look at production and markets for sugar. The early session on June 20 focused on climate change and how the sugar industry is adjusting to changing climates and changing needs. Later sessions looked at research, sugarbeet storage and more.
Mark Brusberg, chief meteorologist of USDA’s agricultural weather and assessments group, a component of the World Agricultural Outlook Board, talked about changes in weather patterns and what it means for agriculture.
Brusberg said global temperatures are warming and carbon dioxide rates are rising now, so it’s not just a problem to adjust to in the future. Even people who have doubted that climate change is real have started to notice patterns of more extreme weather events and see that the science is telling the truth, he said.
The changing climate can mean changes in what crops grow well in what places as temperatures warm or precipitation patterns change, Brusberg said. But it’s not as if people across the north will soon be growing rice, he said. It’ll likely be more subtle changes and adjustments over time.
While the negative impacts of climate change could include yield loss, there are others as well, Brusberg said. Pest and disease pressure may increase or change with rising temperatures. For sugarbeets in particular, wetter and warmer winters could mean storage problems, he said. And more supply chain disruptions — like droughts and floods along major waterways like the Missouri and Mississippi rivers — could change the movement of inputs and harvested crops.
It’s important for producers to take steps now to both mitigate their climate impact and to find new and better ways to farm for the new conditions, Brusberg said.
Speaking after Brusberg, Stevens told the crowd “it’s easy to see how climate change might impact sugar production throughout the world.” And, he said, it’s also easy to see why the tillage practices of centuries or even years ago are no longer adequate for protecting sugarbeet plants and the soil in which they grow.
The main problem with conventional tillage, he explained, has been soil erosion. In a series of photos from eastern Montana, Stevens showed dust storms and the resulting damage to young sugarbeet plants, sheared off by the wind and swirling dirt. It is not sustainable to continue using the same practices from the past, he said.
“We need to look to opportunities to make improvements to reduce our carbon footprint and protect our soil resources,” Stevens said.
He has been involved in trials of both strip till and no till in sugarbeets. The trials have shown reduced tillage systems can help retain soil moisture and nutrients, as well as reduce erosion and protect plants.
While both come with benefits including protecting plants and reducing soil erosion, challenges exist, too, including slightly reduced yields and sugar contents depending on conditions, and problems with seedbed conditions, soil temperatures, fertilizer management and residue management.
“We still do have some things we need to learn about it and challenges we have to overcome,” Stevens said.
Similar conversations around the sugar cane industry, looking at things like water use and emissions reduction, also were part of the program at the WABCG convention.