BBRO BeetCast: Recent Episodes
Francesca Broom
An insight into the world of sugar beet production in the UK, hosted by the British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO). This monthly production provides an overview of the industry with timely updates and future forecasts to support sugar beet growers. Hear from BBRO scientists and the field team, plus grower updates and industry comment.
On-farm conditions are unlikely to ever yield a 100% harvest of the crop, but could we be recovering more? Mark Winters (British Sugar) talks about harvester testing and how we might be able to recoup just a little bit more.
Understanding how to grow a sugar beet crop is only one aspect of being a good sugar beet grower. That's where the Sugar Industry Programme (SIP) comes in. Past participant, Eddie Liddle joins new recruit Henry Stanford and course organiser Sam Williamson from NFU Sugar to discuss why the SIP is so important to the industry.
We can all marvel at the plethora of insects in our soil but few of us would consider studying any one in any detail. However, this is essential if we are to understand their life cycles and impact to a crop, it is also a vital part of determining control. In this podcast we meet Martyn Cox who has picked up the mantle in regards to wireworms: a pest in potatoes, sugar beet, carrots and many more crops.
2025 has proved a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to sugar beet management. The positives being lower levels of virus and a crop that is resilient to drought, and then on the flip side we have increasing concerns re beet moth and foliar disease. Prof Mark Stevens explains the changes seen this year and thoughts for the remainder of the season.
We meet independent agronomist Penny Oakes in-field to discuss her role and that of the AICC. We also take a brief look at free-living nematode damage (docking disorder) in the Docking area.
Meet Stephen Swainston, new Managing Director of BBRO and hear of the increasing number of projects being undertaken in crop production by BBRO's applied scientist, Dr Georgina Barratt.
We all know how important water is in farming and the pressures upon us to limit use, limit run- off, or to the other extreme manage storm water and flooding. We meet with Rob Holland, Catchment Advisor with Anglia Water to discuss some of the issues they are faced with.
With a little bit of rain, we will soon see the 2025 crop emerging from the field, but what if your crop appears to be struggling? Dr Suzannah Harder is at the beginning of a 3 year trial investigating seedling diseases and hopes to be able to provide a more comprehensive answer than 'black leg'.
Disease pressures are probably not on growers radars at present, but in order to break the green bridge we need to ensure fields are clean prior to drilling, especially where cover crops have been in use. We listen in to a presentation from Georgina Barratt on cover crops and Pam Chambers (British Sugar) on weed control for 2025, recorded at our recent BeetTech25 events.
Growing sugar beet without the protection of CruiserSB could be challenging. Whilst cold weather provides an advantage, it is not a guaranteed solution, therefore BBRO will be working closely with growers on the finer details, ensuring that together we can sustain the crop in 2025.
2024 has passed relatively easily for most beet growers, with a relatively average yield being harvested across most of the growing region. But what is in store for 2025 and how will BBRO be supporting you to ensure your decisions deliver all important yield?
In agriculture there are many periods of 'watch and wait' which gives the impression that farming is a laid back industry, but nothing could be further than the truth. The speed of change hitting the industry at present is exhausting. As one hill is climbed, another appears on the horizon, many currently feel they are looking at a mountain range.
Whilst we at BBRO can do little to level the landscape, we hope that we provide enough information to make growing sugar beet easier to navigate. This month we encourage you not only to engage more with us but to also look at the plethora of events and discussion groups available to you, that might just help provide that all important guide rope over the coming months.
With a special day approaching many growers will be wondering what they might find under the tree. Well BBRO's wish list, or to be more accurate Alistair's wish list does not entail large shiny vehicles, he's looking for something slightly smaller and with the help of Roger Barker from Living Optics he puts a small package with big potential to the test.
Autumn is a time for reflection but also for change, and in sugar beet things are certainly changing with the introduction of a new way to secure your seed. Nick Morris (British Sugar) and Arthur Marshall (NFU Sugar) explain the changes and the advantages these could bring to growers.
Chairman of the Sugar Beet RL Board Mr Mike May joins us this month to explain some of the processes of the RL variety selection and how these data can be used by growers.
With much interest in cover crops this autumn we speak to both Dr Georgina Barratt and Dr Alistair Wright about their thoughts and what to expect from the BBRO research currently taking place.
We also meet with industry stalwart, Tricia Cullimore, who has just retired from NIAB following 52 years of trials and the sugar beet Recommended List.
If your beet leaves has become 'holey' it could be the Silver Y moth at play, so please watch your crop carefully throughout July for this pest and for any signs of foliar disease such as Cercospora Leaf Spot.
'Tis the season of events! The BBRO team have been out and about meeting growers and discussing some of the in-field issues and hopes for this season's crop.
With so many tillage choices, how do you ensure you have made the right choice for your soil, the conditions and your crop? BBRO are investigating these implications at Holkham Farming with interesting results.
With a high Virus Yellows forecast and aphids expected around the 10th April we look at mitigation strategies to help growers protect the crop in 2024.
We join Simon Bowen and Stephen Aldis at a Drill Operators training day, to hear the latest info on improving crop population, establishment and ultimately yield through good preparation and drilling.
We also meet with 5 drill manufacturers; Grimme, Kverneland, Kuhn, Monosem and Vaderstad.
As many experienced harvester drivers will tell you there is a lot more to harvesting a good beet crop than you'd think. We spend some time in the cab with a new driver and carry out a harvester test to really put him through his paces - will he pass muster?!
First podcast of 2024. We look at a frequent grower question received during the 2023 campaign. Walking through the collection of data process at British Sugar with Perry Bateman and then hearing from Simon Bowen regarding some of the potential influences to low sugars and higher impurities.
Quite a few growers are using or considering the use of cover crops, but getting the species mix is only one consideration, you also need to plan for destruction particularly where followed by sugar beet. Roger Bradbury, sugar beet lead for Bayer Cropscience and Dr Georgina Barratt (BBRO) discuss the use of glyphosate.
Whilst weather stopped play, for trials harvesting the BBRO team took some well earned time out and visited Beet Europe in France, and came home with a wish list.
We visit one of the BBRO trial sites to see the impact of Virus Yellows on varieties available for drilling in 2024 and also discuss some of the exciting findings regarding new material being tested for future use.
Many of us have stood mesmerised at agricultural shows watching a robotic display and wondering if they have a place on the farm. Well Sentry Farming have partnered with Autonomous Agri Solutions and BBRO to test the theory in a commercial sugar beet field. We meet those involved to see how things have worked out in the first year of trial.
With the sugar beet seed order being imminent, we discuss what to look for in variety traits and how to use this knowledge to shape your choices for the 2024 crop.
The crop is now surging ahead with good canopy cover across much of the growing region. With this in mind we look to our fungicide programmes to ensure the canopy remains healthy to optimise yield potential.
As we enter May the first of the aphids are known to be in flight, so as they launch so do we by commencing the aphid survey. This year monitoring is ramped up with 12 special monitoring sites.
In March British Sugar issued a new early lifting beet contract, as a response to the reduction in supply from the 2023 campaign. Dan Green explains the detail behind this initiative.
Sugar beet drills will soon be emerging into the daylight as preparations get under way for the 2023 sugar beet season. Dr Simon Bowen and Stephen Aldis provide a few pointers to getting the crop underway.
Meet Newark growers, Ed and Tom Hammond who have taken a holistic view to growing beet. Ensuring sustainability of the soil through cover crop use and careful management, leading to a reduction of inputs.
With a number of growers looking to increase their sugar beet contracts we catch up with some young growers to find out why they want to grow the crop and we also find out what's happening in the BBRO plant clinic.
Whilst many may hope to find a trip to Disneyland Florida hanging from their Christmas tree, our intrepid traveller and sugar beet enthusiast Dr Alistair Wright found the Disney of his dreams during a recent trip to Fargo, the sugar beet capital of the USA.
A bit of preparation now could reap rewards in future; particularly if you take a close look at your soil health. Simon and Georgina provide some helpful hints and guidance to the AHDB Soil Health Scorecard.
Whilst the crop has recovered well from drought, issues such as Beet Moth or cracked roots could expose the crop to secondary infection. Prof Mark Stevens explains what to watch out for.
An early release of the September edition of BeetCast to support growers in making those important variety choices we speak to some of the breeders about their seed portfolios.
With the sugar beet harvest due to start in a few weeks, we remind growers to keep an eye on canopies as they recover from drought. Checking for disease and nutrient deficiencies in order to keep the canopy as healthy as possible to maximise yield potential.
It has been a very busy few weeks in the BBRO laboratory checking through numerous yellow water pan samples assessing aphid numbers and now testing for levels of virus. Prof Mark Stevens explains the results so far and expected impact.
Mike May, Chairman of the RL Board joins Dr Simon Bowen to discuss the RL and how assessing your current sugar beet crop can help in determining the best variety choices for your soil type and management programme in future.
With the crop underway we join Martin Stuffens, Farm Manager of Park Farm, Thorney to discuss the BBRO trial site that he is hosting and how his crops are faring so far this season.
We are all on high alert following the Rothamsted Research Aphid forecast. BBRO are exploring a number of options to support the sugar beet industry and encourage growers to join with them in finding new ways to manage this pest.
The Rothamsted Forecast released on the 1st March triggered the use of Cruiser SB treated seed for the 2022 sugar beet crop. The forecast predicts that without control measures almost 70% of the crop will be infected by Virus yellows. Prof Mark Stevens and Dr Simon Bowen discuss the options for growers.
Following a successful year of trials the BBRO are pleased to release some exciting news ahead of the BeetTech22 events relating to Virus yellows and Free living nematodes. Great way to start the new season.
We revisit Holkham Farming to meet Dominic Swan of Catalyst Farming and Farm Manager James Beamish to discuss what data they are collecting and the impact this information could have on crop management.
There has been much talk of the importance of cover crops, but planning their use requires a bit of forethought, whilst their impact requires patience. This is part one of a soil health special with James Beamish, Holkham Farming looking at soil health management and their cover crop programme.
With the on-going haulage issues, many growers are having to provide short-term clamps for their beet. Dr Simon Bowen explains when and why we need to clamp and how best to avoid creating hot spots that could increase sugar losses.
The BBRO field team are busy lifting the first of our trials. We join Stephen Aldis in field to discuss how the crop is looking and how to get the best out of this season’s harvest.
With one type of harvest likely to roll straight into another we meet up with Prof Mark Stevens to assess the levels of virus and foliar disease in the sugar beet crop. Low levels of infection bodes well for those able to leave the crop in the ground a little bit longer, making the most of any late growth.
Whilst most of us want to forget the 2020 beet crop, four growers did well in the face of adversity and have just been announced as the factory winners of the Beet Yield Challenge. Hear how they achieved it and who of the four (Will Baker – Newark, Will Sands – Cantley, Jonathan Quail – Wissington and the Hitchcock family – Bury) has been awarded Champion Beet Grower of 2020.
We join some of the BBRO Team at BeetField21 and listen to discussions ranging from irrigation, drought resistance, variety choice, virus and aphid control, plus an update on the Beet Yield Challenge.
Join us at Morley Farms with farm manager David Jones and BBRO’s Head of Operations Stephen Aldis; checking on our under-sown barley work and discussing weed control.
Drilling complete at BBRO Demo Farms and preparation underway for the summer events. We meet site host, grower Bill Legge at Wallington Hall to discuss how he selects his varieties and what he is hoping to gain from having the BBRO team 'on-farm'.
The 2022 RL is now available (https://bbro.co.uk/sugar-beet-varieties/recommended-list/). Mike May and Dr Vicky Foster reflect on the release and the use of the first Beet mild yellowing virus tolerant variety.
The results from the Rothamsted virus forecasting model have now been released, these indicate a reduced aphid population and therefore significantly lower risk of virus in 2021. Listen to how BBRO utilise models to support growers and how this can improve decision making.
Good soil structure is crucial in getting an early spring crop such as sugar beet away, but just how do you achieve that in wet or frosty environments? Soils specialist Philip Wright offers a few pointers for making the most of the conditions and time before drilling commences.
As we enter 2021, BBRO continues to look for solutions to support growers against Virus Yellows in the short-term, whilst also looking further ahead with the appointment of Dr Georgina Barratt who will be investigating a number of new work streams to build confidence in the crop for the future.
With aphids and virus very much at the forefront of our minds we speak to grower Tom Clarke about introducing an army of beneficials to the crop, and how his fields with under-sown barley fared. We also take a trip to harper Adams University to hear from PhD student Paul Chunga re cell wall integrity.
Big is not always better which is why the BBRO are utilising small box trials for a number of projects. Dr Alistair Wright explains the concept and talks about his role and research projects.
We will also be touching on the current harvest results and how the lifting of poor crops first has impacted on overall sugars across most factories. As Simon will explain there is still a bit of yield to be recouped and as the saying goes ‘the only way is up’.
As sugar beet harvesting commences around the Newark factory we visit contractor and grower Graham Liddle for an insight into his 2020 harvesting campaign. Stephen Aldis also joins us to talk about the importance of on-farm hygiene in combatting virus and disease, whilst Prof mark Stevens gives us an update on the prevalence of cercospora
As harvest time approaches, sugar beet growers are encouraged to check the health of plant canopies before planning their lifting programme. We also visit the BBRO lab to find out what happens to growers samples that are submitted for virus yellows diagnostics.