Expenses were up this past year for sugarbeet growers. Northland Farm Business Management instructor Josh Tjosaas says the difficult harvest influenced fuel and equipment repairs. Labor costs were also an issue. “We definitely had a bad harvest year up and down the (Red River) Valley so growers need to understand costs for land rent, seed, fertilizer and even the cost of joint ventures.” Tjosaas says beets look like a profitable crop for the year ahead, but costs must be managed. “This is a crop where farmers are probably spending between $900 and $1,300 an acre so it doesn’t much for things to change. A five or ten percent change can move things really quickly.” In addition to the farm business management instructor, Tjosaas encourages sugarbeet farmers to get input from their lenders and input suppliers as they prepare for the upcoming growing season.
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