Sugarbeets for Food Plots

Deer love sugarbeets! Sugarbeets are a great addition to any wildlife food plot. Our company has produced the best commercial sugarbeet seed in the U.S.A. for years, and we have recently had many food plot seed requests. In light of these requests, we have fostered a partnership with BuckLunch.com, a retailer of sugarbeet and other wildlife food plot seed.

To order seed for deer food plots, please visit our partner company at: BuckLunch.com.

Planting & Managing Food Plots

It can be extremely rewarding to effectively plant and manage a food plot and see the results of your efforts: improved visibility and quality of wildlife! However, growing and maintaining quality food plots demands a lot of hard work, dedication, time, energy and money. There is no single planting of one magic food plot mix that will provide year-round attractiveness and quality nutrition for wildlife. The most successful food plots are well thought out with considerable planning given to the variety of items planted and when, plot size(s) and location(s), moisture needed, soil condition, seedbed preparation, fertilization, etc.

For example, it is often necessary to plant multiple times during the year to provide both cool and warm season forage. And concerning plot size and location, which will largely depend on the condition of the native habitat and finances available, but where possible, establishing long narrow food strips in a "wagon wheel" fashion can be the most effective food plot strategy. There are many wildlife food plot resources available on the internet with recommendations and guidelines. Most of these guides or studies do not include information on sugarbeets, since they are fairly recent candidate for foodplots. When looking at these guides, you may consider sugarbeets most similar to chicory, rape or turnips. The following list includes food plot guides we found useful:

Kentucky Fish & Wildlife: Food Plots

LSU Ag & Research Extension: Food Plot Plantings in Louisiana

Mississippi State University: Wildlife Food Planting Guide

Noble Foundation: Think before planting food plots

Ohio State University Extension: Establishing Wildlife Food Plots

Purdue University: Food Plots for White-Tailed Deer

Quality Deer Management Association: List of Food Plot Articles

University of Tennessee: Growing & Managing Successful Food Plots

Texas Parks & Wildlife: Food Plots in the Cross Timbers of Northern Texas

Virginia Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries: Plantings to attract deer

Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources: Putting Pen to Paper - Developing Your Wildlife Management Plan

If you have found other helpful food plot resources on the web you would like to share, please send us an email and we'll add it to our list.

Growing Sugar Beets

Information on growing sugar beets for commercial sugar production is provided on our website in the Growing Beets section of Fundamentals. This information can be helpful if your are considering sugar beets as a supplement in your food plot. However, the goals of commercial sugarbeet production are very different from the goals of deer food plots. Planting rates and nitrogen use are areas where these two approaches differ significantly. For planting and fertilizing food plots, follow these recommendations:

  1. Planting Food Plots: optimum soil temps of at least 55° F.
    • Spring Planting: April 1 – June 1
    • Fall Planting: July 20 – August 15
  2. Condition the soil with a disc, chisel plow or similar equipment to prepare a good seed bed.
  3. Drag the seed bed with a drag or chain link fence to further prep the soil.
  4. Soil should be fertile with at least 100 units of actual available nitrogen. Fertilize, if necessary, so that there is 100-200 lbs/acre actual nitrogen. This would be roughly equivalent to 600-1200 lbs/acre of fertilizer 16-16-16 or 13-13-13. This provides additional nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to the soil for healthier plants. If you are not sure of your soils fertility, have your soil tested. Your local farm co-op or fertilizer dealer can usually help with this.
  5. Broadcast 8-10 lbs or drill 5-8 lbs sugarbeet seed per acre. If broadcasting, lightly incorporate seed into the soil with a drag or light cultivator. This rate can be reduced proportionately if blended with Alfalfa, Clover or other seed.
  6. Simply set the broadcaster to 2 on most spreaders or about ¼ inch (better to have setting set smaller and overlap than to run out of seed).
  7. Drag the seed bed and cover the seed with ¼ - ½ inch of top soil.
  8. Wait for rain! Sugarbeets require 12 to 18 inches of moisture during a 5 month growing season.
  9. Mow the plots 1-2 times per year to reduce weed competition and enhance foodplot growth.
  10. Sugarbeets take 2-3 weeks to germinate and emerge after planting. The first stage of beet growth is the canopy or tops. This will be the main growth phase for 4-5 weeks. Then the root growth will become the primary growth phase and that will continue for the next 4-6 months until they reach maturity. Temperatures at freezing (32°F) or below may cause beet loss.