Conservation on heavy soils
Guided by GPS, a sugar beet seed was planted this spring in the middle of a 9-inch wide “strip” of vertically-tilled soil, created last fall by a Soil Warrior machine on the Gudajtes Family Farms near Minto, N.D. Photo taken April 30, 2021, Minto, N.D. Mikkel Pates / AgweekThe Gudajtes' acres are spread out 40 miles north to south. The land they control more than five miles south of their farmstead had received some rain, but as May rolled around, most of their northern lands were extremely dry.
The Gudajteses operate on heavier soils.
“Being a sugarbeet farm, we kind of look for those slightly heavier soils,” he said. “We just believe the finer-textured soils allow the root to develop in a way that it uptakes the available nutrients earlier in its life cycle, allowing it to completely deplete its access to nitrogen later in its life cycle. The lack of nitrogen availability tricks the plant into thinking winter is coming sooner, increasing sugar content.”