Boise, Idaho, USA
November 26, 2014
The University of Idaho Snake River Sugar Beet Conference planned Dec. 9 in Boise and Dec. 11 in Burley will focus on ways growers can adapt research findings to their own farms and combat herbicide-resistant weeds.
This year’s conference is part of an annual series stretching back some three decades. Speakers this year will offer growers ideas for using research by university scientists and others that focuses on large areas to take advantage of opportunities or address issues on individual farms.
The featured speaker will be Allan Cattanach, who recently retired as lead agronomist for the American Crystal Sugar Co. in North Dakota. He served previously as North Dakota State University extension sugar beet specialist.
“He will be talking to the farmers about utilizing research information on their own farms to maximize their profits,” said Don Morishita, UI Extension weed specialist and Kimberly-Twin Falls Research and ExtensionCenter superintendent. “We want to emphasize the value of research to help sugar beet farmers who can adapt these new methods or technologies to best fit their individual farming systems.”
Morishita, who helps organize the conference, said growers often see neighbors adopt new farming practices and want more information without realizing the origin of those practices. Understanding the source of the original information can help them fine tune new methods.
Also on the conference agenda is a report by Joel Felix, Oregon State University weed scientist, about the discovery of glyphosate-resistant kochia in Idaho and Oregon. With virtually all sugar beets grown in Idaho and Oregon resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, growers need new strategies to control kochia, he said.
“Before Roundup Ready sugar beets became the standard, growers used to have a lot of problems with kochia,” Morishita said. “We don’t want to go back to that.”
Sugar beet growers typically are on top of rotating herbicides to avoid resistance in weeds, he said, but will need to be extravigilant for resistant kochia. There are control strategies that will keep it in check.
Two other major weeds, Russian thistle and common lambsquarters, are suspected of showing resistance to glyphosate in Idaho, requiring additional caution from growers.
Morishita said he also plans to ask growers to be on the lookout for Palmer amaranth, a weed resistant to glyphosate that is common in the Midwest and South. Although not yet found in Idaho, he believes the weed likely will show up because it is a common pest in corn and cotton fields.
With Idaho’s livestock industry importing large amounts of cottonseed, Morishita said he expects Palmer amaranth to show up.
Other topics on the agenda for this year’s conference include nematode and insect management, tillage study results, sustainability practices and disease management updates.
The Boise session on Dec. 9 will be held at the Boise Hotel and Conference Center. The Burley session is planned Dec. 11 at the Best Western Plus Burley Inn & Convention Center. Registration costs $27 perperson until Dec. 2 and $37 after that.
More information is available online at bit.ly/UIsugarbeets14 or from Susan Kelly at susank@uidaho.edu or (208) 423-4691 or Morishita at don@uidaho.edu or (208) 423-6616.
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