Essex grower Christopher Hill’s search for a more reliable break crop has ended with the decision to grow sugar beet.

The crop was last grown at Pattiswick Hall Farms, near Braintree, Essex, more than 30 years ago, when there was a factory at nearby Felsted.

Since then, the farm has concentrated on producing quality combinable crops, with first wheats being grown in rotation with oilseed rape, borage and spring beans.

“But it’s become increasingly difficult to grow spring beans for human consumption,” says Mr Hill. “They’ve been suffering from stem nematode and bruchid beetle, which makes getting a premium impossible. And, like many others, our 2006 yields were disastrous.”

He says all three of his current break crops are susceptible to sclerotinia, putting pressure on the rotation. “So having looked very carefully at the figures, we’ve decided to replace spring beans with sugar beet.”

Mr Hill is now in the process of buying 6000t of Contract Tonnage Entitlement to supply British Sugar’s Bury St Edmunds factory. After extensive consultation with farming consultant Mark Hall of Strutt and Parker, and discussions with British Sugar, he is happy with the one-off payment of just over £2/t required.

“We’re on heavy land, so the sugar beet won’t need irrigating,” he says. “It will also help to spread our workload, and take pressure off both the combine and our grain storage facilities.”

But the most compelling reason was the economics, he admits. “It will make us as much money as wheat. And if, for any reason, it doesn’t work out, we can always lease the contract out.”

Mark Hall’s figures, based on sugar beet yields of 58t/ha and a price of £19/t, show a gross margin for the crop of £612/ha. After deducting £290/ha for harvesting, carting, cleaning, loading and haulage, this comes down to £442/ha.

“That compares very favourably with oilseed rape and spring beans, with gross margins of £345/ha and £215/ha, respectively.”
Mr Hall says there is a greater working capital requirement with sugar beet.

“The inputs are more costly initially and more frequent. And the seed-bed requirements of the crop are more stringent. But that shouldn’t present too much of a challenge on this farm.”

Other considerations have been the effect on the following wheat crop, possible damage to soil structure, and staff training, he adds.

“The aim will be to have the beet lifted by the middle of November, so that there’s still time to drill wheat. Xi19 will be used after beet, because it performs very well in a late drilling situation.”

Mr Hall has factored in a 1t/ha wheat yield drop, due to possible soil compaction and later drilling. But because parts of the farm have blackgrass, having sugar beet will help with its control and reduce reliance on graminicides.

“The farm has adopted minimum tillage recently, and we will continue to use the Keeble cultivator wherever possible,” he says. “In wet conditions, we may have to use shallower cultivations.”

There are already two sprayers at Pattiswick Hall Farms, which extends to 1317ha in total. “Sprayer capacity can be an issue with sugar beet, but there is a back-up available here,” Mr Hall adds.

The final challenge could be clamping, he says. “The farm does have old clamps, but not enough. So we’re looking at ways to extend them at minimum cost.”

Mr Hill’s only concern is being left with sugar beet still in the ground at Christmas. “We have sought some assurance from British Sugar on this issue,” he says. “It would be too late to drill the following wheat crop if that happened.”

For more information on sugar beet restructuring: