Hear from BBRO scientists and the field team, plus grower updates and industry comment. “The yields aren’t what we need to make money out of it and because the factories were late opening as soon as the harvest started it poured with rain – we had about 90mm of rain the first weekend,” he said. Andrew Blenkiron of the Euston Estate neat Thetford said his crop - not yet harvested – looked “average” at the moment but felt the early summer drought had no doubt had an effect. We want to reassure you that Team BBRO are working hard on your behalf as usual and, while complying with all the current restrictions, we are continuing to carry out research work, analyse recent results and deliver new information to growers. After a very poor cereal harvest, it was a relief, but certainly wouldn’t rebalance the finances, he said. “Areas of virus yellows have also contributed to the poorer yields and if we cannot secure a reversal of the neonicotinoid ban and/or a hard winter to kill the aphids then prospects for future years look increasingly bleak too. These root vegetables, which are related to both standard beetroot and Swiss chard, are typically cultivated for sugar production -- in fact, sugar beet sugar makes up 20 percent of the world’s sugar. Ben Larter, of Framlingham, described his beet crop year as “a bit of disaster”. Working alongside this, the Stakeholder Committee provides guidance on future industry priorities and oversees BBRO’s funded programme of research and knowledge exchange activities. If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the East Anglian Daily Times. With the soggy conditions he has not been able to establish next year’s crop. “We have seen a bit of virus yellows but the crop seems to have grown through it,” he said. You might be accustomed to the ruby red hue of standard beetroot-- or even the yellow of its golden sibling-- but it’s less likely that you've encountered the white-colored sugar beet. Recent rains have only added to farmers’ woes as they attempt to harvest their normally resilient beet crops. “This is the first year of my farming career in which I am considering the future of sugar beet on our farm,” he said. John Taylor, who farms at Woodbridge, said he had harvested about half of his beet crop with the first of it lifted at the end of September yielding just 60t/ha and with sugars at about 16.5%. He estimated about a fifth of his crop was affected by virus. While the last thing he wanted was to use more insecticide than absolutely necessary he argued that neonicotinoids on beet seeds – as opposed to oilseed rape crops – should not harm bee populations as they were non-flowering. The BBRO Executive Board provides guidance on the strategic direction of the organisation and its members are responsible for setting the levy. He has lifted around 120/130ha of his 200ha of the crop and was averaging around 60/65t/ha where he would normally expect around 80t/ha. Topical magazine providing insight into industry challenges, changes and new technology. Sugar beet is sourced from local farms in the East of England and it is cultivated, on average, 28 miles from the UK’s four British Sugar plc factories UK-produced sugar travels an average distance of 168 miles from beet to bulk delivery point at the sites of UK customers. Higher sugar contents attract a premium at the sugar beet factories in Bury St Edmunds, Wissington, Newark and Cantley – where the crop is processed. A combination of virus yellows infections and poor growing conditions in the spring have devastated sugar beet yields for some growers, particularly in the Wissington factory region.