BOISE, Idaho (RFD News) — U.S. sugarbeet growers faced significant uncertainty earlier in the season after 90,000 acres had to be replanted.
Snake River Sugarbeet Growers Association Executive Director Samantha Parrott said the crop has rebounded despite the setback.
“Sugarbeets are such a resilient crop. Overall, our tonnage will be down though. So, in 2025, we had eight million tons across the co-op which is a record, massive crop last year. In 2026, we’re estimating maybe 6.5 million tons. That’s just an estimate. We’ll see how things shake out.”
Despite the recovery, Parrott said water supplies remain a major concern for growers, with some preparing to have their water shut off early this year. She said weeds have also been an issue.
“We’ve had pockets of Cercospora leaf spot, which is a fungal disease. We’ve seen instances of waterhemp, which is a Roundup resistant weed that is very, very nasty if you get that in your field. And then curly top, which is spread by leafhoppers, remains a problem. So, it’s still an uphill battle for growers trying to round out this crop before they get it out of the field.”
Sugarbeet growers have dealt with drought before, including rising drought conditions in 2002 and 2012. Other groups say conditions this year have been far worse than both prior episodes.
