On-Farm Sugar Beet Nitrogen Management

Nitrogen (N) management in sugar beet production requires balancing yield and sugar quality: too little N reduces root yield, while too much lowers sugar concentration and recoverable sugar. In cooperation with Western Sugar Cooperative, our team launched a five-year (2025-29) USDA-NRCS funded project to promote Conservation Practice Standard 590 by validating reduced N strategies based on estimated recoverable sugar (ERS) rather than the traditional model based on root yield. 

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The project will engage 50 growers in Nebraska and Colorado through on-farm comparisons of traditional and ERS-based N recommendations. Prior small plot research has shown the ERS model can lower N use - from 8 to 6.3 lbs./ton of beet - reducing applications by about 45 lbs./acre at average yields without sacrificing production. Results will support conservation incentives, guide nutrient management recommendations, and be shared through cooperative outreach to encourage profitable and environmentally responsible sugar beet production.