LETHBRIDGE – While many southern Alberta sugar beet growers might wish that they could forget last year’s tough growing season, record world sugar prices are starting to win them over, said the president of the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers Marketing Board.
Rob Boras of Picture Butte told delegates to the board’s 86th annual meeting Feb. 17 that last year challenged many growers.
Boras said the wet, adverse weather conditions from spring shifted in the fall for a dry harvest period.
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“Having achieved that, you should be able to reap some of the benefits of the high world sugar prices being experienced, translating into a level of return that hasn’t been seen in nearly 30 years,” said Boras. “That is truly something positive to look forward to.”
Boras said there were trying issues in the year. The most important was discussion about dumped sugar and the injury it could cause to the domestic market served by Lantic Sugar and the sugar beet growers.
“After an incredible journey of almost a year, the tribunal hearing the matter ruled that the duties would remain on U.S. sugar but not on European Union imports,” he said.
“Certainly we are disappointed in this outcome, and the industry, led by the Canadian Sugar Institute, is appealing.”
Michel Camps, chair for the board’s agriculture committee, also pointed to some of last year’s obstacles.
Weather problems in early spring cased the loss of about 744 acres of beets.
Most producers had to nervously wait until October in hopes of saving the crop, which worked out for many farmers in the end.
As well, sugar beet researchers tested 26 varieties of seed in 2010, he said, all herbicide-tolerant types. Growers already have access to four herbicide-resistant varieties.
Camps also praised researchers for work with a strip-till unit that applies dry or liquid fertilizer in a band below the seed, leaving most of the stubble between growing rows of beets to avoid wind erosion.
“This, together with herbicide tolerance might be the future of sugar beet farming,” said Camps.
