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Slow start to sugar beet planting in Minnesota

The vice president of the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative says he’s not concerned by the relatively slow start to planting.

Todd Geselius tells Brownfield frequent rains have stunted the pace compared to the previous two years.

“But we also have to remember the last couple of years we got planted extraordinarily early.  So we’re still kind of in a normal timeframe right now.  At our cooperative, we are at about 15 percent completed with planting.”

He says average planting dates in southern Minnesota hover around April 25^th.

Geselius describes adequate conditions for the sugar beets already planted.

“The guys have been very judicious about making sure where they’re going is fit.  And that’s really the key to getting a good stand with beets, it’s got to be fit.  If it’s a little bit on the wet side, it usually doesn’t work out.”

The latest USDA crop progress report shows sugar beet planting in Minnesota at 18 percent complete as of Sunday, slightly behind the five year average.