Sugar Producer

On Display The beet industry is a sweet part of sugar's sustainability story. FROM THE ASA By Phillip Hayes | Director of Media Relations "Sustainability" may be the new buzzword in agriculture, but America's beet sugar industry has been producing sugar sustainably for decades. It's no surprise, then, that sugarbeet growers and workers have featured prominently in the American Sugar Alliance's new campaign at www.sugarsustainably.org. The introduction of sugarbeet seeds that are bioengineered to resist weed- killing herbicides is just one way that beet growers have helped revolutionize the sugar industry and reduce our environmental footprint. As part of SugarSustainably.org, the ASA spoke with Duane Grant, CEO of Grant 4-D Farms in Rupert, Idaho, and chairman of Amalgamated Sugar Company. Sugarbeets are at the heart of Grant's operation, but the crop was becoming harder and harder for families like his to produce due to the effort and chemicals required to successfully manage weeds. In the early 2000s, Grant dedicated himself to bringing the same GMO technology that was benefiting corn and soybean farmers to sugarbeets. He was one of the first farmers who agreed to take the leap of faith and commercially plant a GMO sugarbeet crop in 2007. By 2009, bioengineered seeds accounted for 95 percent of the nation's sugarbeet crop. Since the introduction of GMO sugarbeet seed, productivity has significantly increased, requiring less spraying of herbicides, less tilling and stripping of the land, and less need for costly farm equipment that burns fossil fuels. In short, more sugarbeets are being produced on less land, and it's being done in a more economical and environmentally friendly way. In fact, scientific studies show that bioengineered sugarbeets have reduced ecotoxicity and environmental risk by 92 and 98 percent, respectively. This technology has also enabled farmers to utilize better farming practices that have cut soil-derived carbon emissions by 80 percent. Controlling carbon is an important part of sustainable soil management and protecting our natural resources. The beet sugar industry has also taken proactive steps to manage excess phosphorus from cropland runoff. SugarSustainably.org profiled the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative (SMBSC) and their farmer shareholders, who are taking action to help reduce phosphorus pollution in the Minnesota River Basin. When SMBSC needed to build a new wastewater treatment plant in 1999, they worked with state officials to develop a plan to offset potential discharges. For every pound of possible phosphorus released, SMBSC would ensure that 2.6 pounds of phosphorus pollution does not enter the waterways. SMBSC worked with their more than 500 farmer shareholders to encourage the use of cover crops to minimize soil erosion caused by wind or rainfall and to reduce runoff. "As farmers, we have a sincere respect for the resources that have been gifted to us," says Kyle Petersen, chairman of the board for SMBSC. "We are committed to preserving a sustainable and healthy natural environment, and knew that we had to take action to defend our waterways." More than 75 percent of SMBSC growers now use a cover crop on their sugarbeet fields. Not only are they taking strides to protect the environment, but SMBSC growers have found that cover crops protect the emerging beet plants and improve soil health, leading to an increased yield. Not content to simply meet their goals, SMBSC has remained well below the phosphorus release limit established by their permit while exceeding their stated phosphorus reduction commitment. SMBSC has been credited with preventing more than twice as much phosphorus from entering Minnesota surface waters as is required by their permit. In total, that's a reduction of more than 219,000 pounds of phosphorus. These efforts have rightly won accolades from environmental groups and have been highlighted as an example of best practices for other facilities to follow. America's sugar industry is proud to be on the forefront of sustainable agriculture and production practices. Read these stories and more at www.sugarsustainably.org. n 22 Sugar Producer JANUARY 2020

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