BBRO BeetCast

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.

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.