Success in the sugarbeet industry takes teamwork
From the seed planted in the ground to the bag of sugar in the grocery store, a sugarbeet’s journey to the kitchen all happens within the Red River Valley region.
Sugarbeet harvest is the largest mobilization of semitrucks in the U.S. All the sugarbeets are taken from the fields in about 12 days by producers working around the clock. Sixty percent of the nation’s sugarbeets are produced in Minnesota and North Dakota.
The regional sugarbeet industry is unique because major players come together to keep production thriving, reach shared goals and work toward a bright future for the sugar industry in the region.
Collaboration between three grower cooperatives — Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative and American Crystal Sugar Company — and North Dakota State University, the University of Minnesota, the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service and other stakeholders means the sugarbeet industry can advance.
Frank Casey, associate director of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, calls the collaboration a model of success.
“This spirit of teamwork brings people together,” says Casey. “The people are all engaged in working toward a common outcome. It’s like an engine.”
All of these partners’ personnel and expertise come together for sugarbeet production. They also come together for research.
The Sugarbeet Research and Education Board prioritizes the cooperatives’ needs and allocates funds for research on the specialty crop.
Joe Hastings, head agronomist at American Crystal Sugar Company, emphasizes the importance of third-party research.
“Sugarbeets are a high-risk crop,” says Hastings. “Growers need to spend their money on the right stuff to be effective. There are high margins to surpass.”
The board meets with researchers in the summer, and growers bring up issues they experience in the field. After that, the researchers develop research proposals that they submit back to the board in the winter. The board decides which research plans would best help growers.
Research ranges from practical, short-term studies or longer-term exploration. Topics vary from plant breeding, seed quality, disease, weed management and insect infestation to drainage issues, soil moisture and postharvest storage.
“Our concerns are very well aligned,” adds Hastings.
Eric Branch is an Extension plant pathologist and sugarbeet specialist representing both NDSU and UMN Extension. The primary focus of his program is Cercaspora leaf spot, a fungal pathogen that develops tan-gray spots on sugarbeet leaves and can make them wither and die. This disease reduces the yield and quality of the sugarbeet and is a worrying issue.
Branch says commodity groups are very plugged in to the research process, and that’s unique to this industry.
“It’s on the education side, too,” says Branch. “It’s how we send these data-driven recommendations to the grower.”
Researchers like Branch need to meet harvest expectations, as well. Without the results from those field tests, advancements would stall. They need up-to-date equipment to work efficiently.
A new plot-sized sugarbeet harvester — designed and constructed in 2025 — is an excellent example not only of continued investment and timely research, but also of coordination and meaningful collaboration across diverse partnerships, including NDSU, UMN, USDA-ARS, farmer
co-ops and industry partners.
Sugarbeet yields have increased over time, along with responses on issues like disease, fertility, soil management and insect infestation.
Hastings credits the growth to this collaboration. He says that without research such as varietal improvement and production practices evolving, the region would’ve suffered.
“What makes it all work is that we’ve made a great relationship with these researchers,” says Hastings. “I feel comfortable talking to any one of them about a need, and they feel comfortable coming to us with ideas.”
Learn More at NDSU Ag Hub Sugarbeet
