Farmers will have an opportunity to communicate their interest in supplying energy beets during educational meetings being held at five locations across central North Dakota the week of March 16.

“Development of the energy beet industry in North Dakota depends on farmers’ willingness to grow the crop,” says Aaron De Laporte, North Dakota State University research assistant professor.

Farmers attending the meetings on energy beet production and economics will be surveyed about the returns they need to plant the crop and their preferences in how the crop will be harvested and contracted. The paper survey will be conducted following the educational portion of the meeting. NDSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are sponsoring the meetings.

Energy beets, also called industrial beets, are varieties of beets bred for industrial sugars that can be converted to a wide range of biofuels and chemicals. Commercialization efforts continue in North Dakota, as well as other parts of the country.

Each of the five North Dakota communities where the meetings will be held has been targeted by the Green Vision Group as a potential site for energy beet production and processing. The North Dakota-based Green Vision Group’s goal is to build at least 12 energy beet-to-ethanol plants in the state.

Locations, dates and times for the educational meetings are:

• Valley City - Tuesday, March 17, 9 to 11 a.m., Eagles Club
• Jamestown - Tuesday, March 17, 3 to 5 p.m., Stutsman County Extension Service office
• Langdon - Wednesday, March 18, 9 to 11 a.m., Langdon Research Extension Center
• Cando - Wednesday, March 18, 1 to 3 p.m., Towner County Extension Service office
• Carrington - Thursday, March 19, 9 to 11 a.m., Carrington Research Extension Center

A drawing for an iPad Air 2 will be held at each of the five locations. Refreshments will be provided.

The survey is being conducted as part of a project sponsored by the Federal-State Market Improvement Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NDSU. For more information, contact your local county Extension agent; David Ripplinger, bioenergy specialist, at (701) 231-5265; or De Laporte at (701) 231-8672.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – March 6, 2015