Roundup Ready Sugar Beets are here

In our book, ‘Ultimate Deer Food Plots’ we have a chapter, ‘Planting sugar beets’ that gives you info on the value of sugar beets and detailed instructions in the planting and maintenance of them. We have some good news for those interested in this awesome forage. There will be a supply of seeds available this year from Monsanto, the originator of this genetically altered seed. Roundup Ready means that you can spray the non-selective herbicide, Roundup, which kills most of the weeds but not the sugar beet plant. Sugar beets are about as fussy as any plant can get and takes special care, experience and knowledge for success. I normally advise the inexperienced to forget about it due to the many expensive herbicides that need to be applied accurately and several times till full leaf canopy to young and very sensitive sugar beet plants. You do not want a single weed to compete with young sugar beet plants, especially the first 8 weeks of growth. The herbicides are potent and it doesn’t take much to make a mistake and kill the beets along with weeds. This was before the introduction of Roundup Ready sugar beets. Now the picture is simple art. You still need to address that weed problem and other maintenance practices but it is now a, ‘piece of cake.’ We do not have the space to cover as much as the chapter in our book does but we will explore new territory and discuss some areas in the book.

My sugar beet experience

I have experience with sugar beets. My first experience was in 1944 at the age of nine. I spent my young years in Pinconning Michigan, where milk for cheese, navy beans and sugar beets was the main source of income for many farm families. That year of 1944 I was encouraged to try my talents in blocking young sugar beets. Sugar beet seeds today are planted one at a time and spaced accurately by planters. Not the case in 1944, where seeds were planted in a row but not spaced accurately, in fact more than enough seed was dropped to account for inaccurate seed spacing. Blocking is being on your knees with a short hand hoe and creating spaces of 8-10 inches between two better growing plants. I would like to say that I was exemplary in this skill, but hey, it was my first try, Give me a break. I did improve enough to stay on the job. Thinking back, maybe I wasn’t so bright, improving my skills. I have planted sugar beets for deer for the last ten years, with more success than not. They are fussy in many ways and you will find that out.

Fussy demands of sugar beets

Let’s cover some fussy demands of sugar beets. They prefer a medium to heavy loam soil, with heavy clay and light sand not in the picture. You have a chance with the light loamy sand providing there is a high water table, (example, planting alongside a drainage) or a loamy clay soil that has a slight southern slope for drainage. You will need to correct that soil to a very high level of fertility. This includes a high organic matter content and minerals. Think Phosphorous at 40-150 parts per million, PPM, while potash and magnesium at 200-300 PPM. Get that soil Ph at 6.5 –7.5. Sugar beets are responsive to the application of fertilizer, especially several applications.

As mentioned sugar beets and weeds do not mix and this is paramount for success in growing big beets. The saying. ‘Well begun is half done’ is true for sugar beets. Competition with weeds, especially the first 8 weeks of growth leaves an indelible mark that cannot be erased later no matter what you do. They just do not catch up with a poor beginning. This means that you will need to spray those beets in a timely manner. Fertilization and spraying details are shown in the book and our website,

deerattraction .com. For the sake of general spraying maintenance info, here are some basics. Spray Roundup at the rate of 3/4 quart per acre at the two-leaf plant stage or 3-4 weeks after planting, then again at the four-leaf stage, (approximately three weeks after the first spraying). You may need additional sprayings till full leaf canopy. If so, spray four weeks after the second spraying and four weeks later if necessary and no more. You spray exactly at the 3/4-quart rate of Roundup per acre and no more. You will add one quart of sprayable granulated Ammonium Sulfate per acre for more effective weed control. The above must be followed to the letter. The lower, (3/4 quart per acre rate) rather than the normal rate of Roundup, (one quart to two per acre) is due to the still somewhat sensitive Roundup Ready Sugar Beet plants. The Ammonium Sulfate addition is important for more effective weed kill.

Sugar beets need moisture at all stages of their growth, especially in September, and October, when they have a burst of growth, for they are a cool season forage. Yes, sugar beets grow in October and even into November. In fact they are sweetest in mid November and will stay alive and fresh through most of winter when under the snow. Even though sugar beets thrive with moisture they are sensitive to excessive moisture when in the young stage and unfortunately are easily drowned out.

Sugar beets need to be planted with accurate seed density. They should be at minimum a foot apart, which equals 43,560 seeds per acre. I recommend you try for 50,000 seeds per acre and up to 60,000 seeds max. This creates an earlier leaf canopy, which shades weeds, (important). Not to encourage you to plant an excessively dense plot but the denser the seeding the sweeter the beets. Also, most hunting land soils are not the best and it may be recommended to plant a bit dense. This includes the more northern areas with a shorter growing season. Be cautious with this dense seeding thinking, sugar beet seeds are expensive and there is a best seeding rate for your condition, you may need to find this out on your own. The book shows in detail how to prepare soil, fertilizer recommendations and accurately broadcast sugar beet seeds using an inexpensive, ($30) hand spreader. You follow the seed broadcasting with a double cultipacking pass or run over the plot with a quad, then sit back, relax and enjoy the moment. Then wait for Mother Nature to do her thing.

Commercial sugar beet farmers in the better growing areas of Michigan, (Saginaw Bay area) expect 20-25 tons of beets per acre, with some reaching 30 tons. Do not expect anything close to this. Soil type, location and weather are major influences and with typical soils found in hunting lands one may expect as high as six tons per acre to something less. It may take you sometime to know and understand the intricacies of your soil. You will learn its secrets and put it all together and then the road becomes smoother and downhill. I recommend you start easy using the best soil available and create several small plots of around 1/8 of an acre for your learning curve.

Rotation of crops is important when planting sugar beets for they are hosts to many pests from funguses, mold, insects and hair-sized nematodes. A four-year cycle is best. The following method is one proven to be effective. The first year, plant sugar beets as early as possible, (mid to late April in the southern areas to late May in far northern areas). Prior to that first year sugar beet planting, you should prepare that plot the previous year. Follow recommendations as shown for the fourth year planting of red clover or spray at least twice the previous summer followed with an early fall tillage. Whatever you do, it is best to start the first year planting of RR sugar beets with a clean field. The second year plant Roundup Ready soybeans in mid May to early June. For the third year broadcast a grain crop of winter wheat into that second year planting of soybeans around the first of September, (before soybean leaf drop). In the fourth year of soil preparation you will be planting red clover in spring. The clover variety should be Mammoth red clover for maximum green manure. This is important for sugar beets take much from the soil and you need to replenish the nutrients and organic matter. You will not mow that clover. You may not find deer going after that Mammoth red clover for the variety is designed for cattle and plow-down green manure. In mid September of that fourth year spray the clover with one quart of Roundup plus one pint of 2-4-D ester per acre. Four to six weeks later till the plot for next springs planting of sugar beets. Yes, it takes extra effort to grow a successful crop of sugar beets, but as you probably noticed, you are also building up that soil, which means all deer forage plantings will improve through the years and deer know what forage is best and naturally gravitate to it. In time, you will have the best act in town. This is one of the ways you can even compete in an agricultural area.

Benefits you can expect when planting sugar beets

Don’t let the above fussy demands of sugar beets turn you off; the benefits far outweigh the fuss and cost. I do not know of any forage that is superior to sugar beets as a winter carryover forage. One prime answer for maximum deer health, disease resistance, body and antler size and fawn production with survival to one year of age, is having year round nutritious forage, with the winter season being the most critical.

Let’s start with the nutrient data of sugar beets. Let’ compare one very popular and considered ideal forage for deer to sugar beets. Ladino clover or its parent white clover is universally accepted as the one best forage for deer. Yes, I agree on the merits of ladino as excellent forage for deer, especially during spring green-up time when it is available soon after the winter season. The stuff is unbeatable for pregnant does for fetus development prior to fawn birth in early June. It is there then, for the nursing does and within two weeks after their birth, the rampaging clover eating fawns. We’re talking up to 30% protein and 70-80% digestibility. It doesn’t get much better. Sugar beets are not a spring or early summer forage, they are a fall and winter forage and deer nutrition needs change with the seasons. Deer are putting on weight and adding fat for the winter stress. Protein requirement goes from 16% for spring and summer to 10-12 % for the winter season and that is just what the protein content of sugar beets is. Have you ever heard of forage being more than 95% digestible? Well, here it is and it is called sugar beets. The emphasis is now on energy not protein. Not to say protein is not important, for bucks need to replace muscle lost from the rutting exercise and fawns continue to grow right into the month of December. Sugar content of sugar beets can reach 20% dry matter, now that’s high energy. Minerals are important and sugar beets certainly hold their own.

Calcium: beets1.56 %, ladino 1,35%

Phosphorous: beets .29%, ladino .31%

Magnesium: beets 1.07%, ladino .48%

Potassium: beets 5.74%, ladino 2.62%

Sulfur: beets .57%, ladino.21%

Looks pretty impressive eh, and we have been told that sugar beets are nothing but garbage in the woods. Vitamins are highest when the forage is fresh and still growing. Sugar beets left in the ground are still alive even under the snow and are awash with a multitude of vitamins. They need to be alive for they are biannual and in the second year of growth is when they bolt for seed development.

The high sugar content and digestibility of sugar beets makes them an ideal attractant forage for deer. Yes, they are a fine bait source, but now legal for all states, when planted as a food plot. Actually, beets lying about are more preferred by deer versus ones growing in the ground, at least in the beginning. Then, with time they get to favor them as well. Deer will eat the leaves of sugar beets with some relish. Do not mow the tops of sugar beets. This only generates more leaf growth, which takes away the sugar content of the bulb. As mentioned beets get sweeter as they grow into November. The deer have a difficult time avoiding them as winter approaches. This adds to the later deer hunting seasons. Sugar beets do not die when eaten by deer. The eaten portion, (usually the sides, first) develops a scar, and the beet keeps on growing unless the top is totally eaten away.

Roundup Ready, RR sugar beets are a patented product and for every ones protection all growers need a free license from Monsanto to buy and plant Roundup Ready sugar beet seeds no matter how small of an acreage planted. Ed Spinazzola has been accepted by Monsanto to be a licensed RR sugar beet dealer to sell RR sugar beet seeds throughout the United States. These seeds are to be used for wildlife food plots only and all growers of wildlife food plots are eligible to purchase these seeds. Ed will not sell any RR sugar beet seeds to commercial sugar beet growers.

Keep the fun in hunting!

Ed Spinazzola, Board Member, Mid Michigan Branch, QDMA

Board Member, National, QDMA

Click Here To order Roundup Ready Sugar Beet Seeds

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