Positives outweigh the negatives for sugar beet, growers and experts say

Matthew Carter, farm manager at Rougham Estate Farms in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, said that he sees many advantages in growing sugar beet. 

He said: “The crop provides a healthy gross margin for the business; it allows different active ingredients to be used for weed control, in particular on blackgrass, on the heavier land.  

“I can integrate over-winter cover cropping on the light land which is then grazed by sheep by a nearby shepherd. It spreads the workload across the season with a spring drilling slot and over-winter harvesting period; it particularly utilises the lighter land on the northern end of the estate, allowing for the later lift slot with soil damage, as well as adds organic matter back into the soil from the tops.” 

Mr Carter added that sugar beet is a very valuable crop, not only in terms of the gross margin. “Most importantly, it’s an integral part of the rotation here at Rougham Estate and has been for over 75 years. Also, we are only a maximum of six miles away from the Bury St Edmunds factory, so it works perfectly for haulage.” 

The farm manager said that, in summary, this year has been good for the growers, however, the severe lack of rainfall has strained the lighter land. 

“Due to the hot, dry conditions, it meant broadleaf weed control was difficult to keep on top of, as the weeds didn’t absorb the herbicides, and using mineral oil took very careful consideration due to the heat. Sugar results from the first field that has been delivered have been around the 17.2% mark, which is pleasing.” 

Mr Carter said that current challenges for sugar beet growers include the price paid per ton by British Sugar, climate change and the effect it is having on the growing of the crop, particularly without the capacity to irrigate, Virus Yellows and the shrinking pot of active ingredients to use on the crop.

‘Fantastic break crop’

NFU Sugar board chairman and sugar beet grower Kit Papworth said that growing sugar beet has a number of positives. 

“If you live within a reasonable range of a factory, sugar beet is a fantastic break crop from other crops, particularly cereals. It gives a whole new range of chemistry that you can use to control weeds, pests and diseases, and often it provides very high returns. 

“But unfortunately, commodity markets are where they are currently, so sugar beet, like wheat, oilseed rape and all the rest of it, is not terribly profitable at the moment. The good news is that NFU Sugar is the only organisation that can negotiate with British Sugar. 

“We’ve reached a deal with them, which took us a very, very long time to do. And we’ve done, we feel, the best we could,” he continued. 

The NFU Sugar team explained that growers now have the opportunity to lease back some or all of their contract tonnage entitlement (CTE) for the 2026/27 crop year to British Sugar.  

In doing so, they reserve the right to retain that CTE for 2027/28. The tonnage that can be put on holiday is capped at 750,000 tonnes in total. Contract holidays are offered on a first-come-first-served basis. 

The NFU Sugar board chairman explained: “If you don’t think you can make money at the current prices, you can just take a holiday from growing, provided that you can find something else that’s equally good or better, whilst retaining the ability to grow sugar beet in a future year. I think it’s a good deal.” 

He added that many growers can still make money at the current prices. It depends on the land type, the growing technique farmers use but also on the unpredictability of the weather and the risks growers are able to take.  

Mr Papworth, who is a director of LF Papworth Ltd, a contract farming business based near Aylsham in Norfolk, and farms 1,250 hectares on behalf of over 20 different landowners, has listed a number of positives of growing sugar beet. 

“Sugar beet keeps on growing through autumn and winter, so growers are still getting increased yields. Provided you’re prepared to take the risk and grow on into the season, you can grow quite high yields at what is the competitive price. 

“Another positive is that, since we decided to abandon neonicotinoids, sugar beet is really one of the most environmentally friendly crops that you can possibly grow,” Mr Papworth concluded. 

‘Excellent rotational crop’  

Dan Green, British Sugar agriculture director, said that sugar beet is an excellent spring-sown rotational crop.  

By breaking pest and disease cycles, supporting effective control of blackgrass and other weeds, and enhancing soil structure, it has positive benefits for soil health, he explained.  

“On top of this, it is resilient to changing weather patterns, with its deep roots contributing to better water infiltration and soil aeration – both key for climate change impact mitigation and supporting long-term carbon sequestration,” he said. 

Mr Green added that the crop has further benefits for soil through the large amount of organic material returned to the ground by the tops of the sugar beet after harvesting, and the benefits last longer than the single year of sowing, keeping your rotation healthy.  

“There are financial benefits too. British Sugar always aims to pay a fair, market-related price and share market upsides when possible. Average margins for growing sugar beet remain strong when compared with alternative break crops, and many growers also benefit from reduced requirements on staff, infrastructure and machinery,” Mr Green concluded. 

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