Nebraska Extension in Scotts Bluff County

Karla Wilke, Cow/Calf Stocker Management Specialist
Panhandle Research and Extension Center

Temperatures dropping below 15 degrees in early October 2019 may have put some sugarbeets in Western Nebraska at risk of decaying at the crown. When decay begins in the beet before it can be processed, it makes the beet unacceptable for sugar production for human consumption.

Sugarbeets not fit for human consumption can be an economical source of feed for beef cattle. But producers should be aware of how sugarbeet nutrient content compares to other common feeding rations such as corn and beet pulp, and also how the rotting process affects the beets’ nutrient quality.

Robert M. Harveson, Extension Plant Pathologist
Panhandle R&E Center, Scottsbluff 

Goss’ wilt and leaf blight is a destructive bacterial disease of corn, caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskense. It was first identified in 1969 from Dawson County near Lexington making it a true Nebraska native.

Over the next decade, it was identified from at least 53 other counties in Nebraska and also spread into Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, and Colorado. The disease was eventually identified from additional U.S. corn-growing states before disappearing in the mid-1980s just as suddenly as it first appeared.