U of I Sugar Beet Conference moves to Boise

BOISE, Idaho — The rapid spread of herbicide-resistant pigweeds, new restrictions on applying pesticides and a maggot that can reduce sugar beet yields by up to 40% will be among the hottest topics of this year’s University of Idaho Sugar Beet Conference.

The annual conference, cohosted by Amalgamated Sugar Co., is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Boise Centre, 850 W. Front St., Boise. Registration is $30 online through 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, and $45 at the door, and lunch will be included. The event will also feature a trade show.

Organizers anticipate a crowd of about 250 people and moved the conference from Burley to coincide with Amalgamated Sugar’s annual shareholders meeting on Friday, Dec. 5, in Boise. Participants can earn two Idaho or Oregon pesticide applicator recertification credits and four certified crop advisor credits.

A key focus will be Palmer amaranth, an herbicide-resistant pigweed spreading across southern Idaho. Clarke Alder, sales manager with Betaseed, will share an update on the weed issue, as well as a means for growers to protect themselves from the threat. Palmer amaranth can grow up to 10 feet tall, towering over crop canopies, and has cut sugar beet yields nearly in half in certain Idaho fields. This season, Alder, UI Extension weed scientist Albert Adjesiwor and Oregon State University weed scientist Joel Felix confirmed Palmer amaranth at 164 locations, infesting about 9,000 acres.

More than 85% of the weed samples the researchers tested were resistant to glyphosate herbicide, which is the active ingredient in Roundup. Glyphosate-resistant weeds are especially problematic for Idaho sugar beet farmers because all the seed they plant is engineered to resist glyphosate applications.

At the start of the 2025 growing season, sugar beet growers received permission under an emergency exemption to use the pre-emergence herbicide metamitron, which is sold under the brand name Goltix and is labeled for other crops but is effective against Palmer amaranth.

“We’ve been trying to convince people to use it, but I understand it costs money,” said Adjesiwor, who is among the conference organizers.

Adjesiwor is also tracking another herbicide-resistant pigweed, called waterhemp, that has been proliferating throughout southern Idaho.

The conference will open with a session about new pesticide regulations regarding buffers that applicators must maintain while spraying products in sugar beets, driven by changes in the Endangered Species Act. Oliver Neher, chief scientist and senior plant pathologist with Amalgamated, will give the label updates and compliance overview.

UI Extension entomologist Erik Wenninger will share recent findings from his work on sugar beet root maggot management, including tools that help growers determine when to apply insecticides.

Other topics to be covered during the conference include farm succession planning, sugar beet research projects, farmer mental health, concerns about the efficacy of CR+ fungicide, nutrient management, irrigation management in beets and an introduction of Emily Bedwell, UI Extension’s new irrigation specialist.

Media contact

John O’Connell
Assistant director of communications
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
208-530-5959
Joconnell@uidaho.edu

Albert Adjesiwor
Assistant professor and Extension weed specialist
208-423-6616
Aadjesiwor@uidaho.edu