’09 Challenges: Rains, Roundup Sugarbeets

Last week, I asked you a number of questions about how this season — at least the application side — is going. So far, the responses are interesting.

OK, there have only been two responses at this point, but each provides insights into life as a retailer this year. (Both were submitted July 21.)

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“CE,” located in the Red River Valley of northwest Minnesota, tells us that delays in planting has wreaked havoc with timing corn and soybean applications:

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“We had a real hard time trying to get planted this spring. Spraying has really been challenging because it mixed the two most popular crops spraying season together — beans and corn. On beans, few people use preemergence herbicides and they have had a big problem with big weeds. Some corn also was a challenge to get over it when the time was perfect.

“We need rain to raise a crop, but sometimes it makes for a challenge. People forget soon that you may have just lost two or three weeks to rain snd could not apply.”

An anonymous submission is from a region growing sugarbeets, corn, and soybeans. The advent of Roundup sugarbeets is changing this retailer’s application business:

“With the introduction of Roundup sugarbeets in 2008 we have experienced significant reduction in custom application acres last year and again in 2009. Many patrons are purchasing new and larger sprayers because now they have three crops (corn, soybeans, and sugarbeets) that the equipment can be used on. The window of application isn’t even a concern to them anymore, a circumstance which was in our favor.

“Along with the application aspect is the fact that glyphosate is becoming a commodity that is difficult for full-service dealerships to generate a reasonable rate of return from, to pay ever-increasing overhead costs.”

Is your experience similar? If you’re a retailer in Texas, I’d have to believe your experiences this season have been completely different. Be sure to check out the top article listed below for more on that situation.

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