[Crops 101] How To Sow & Harvest Sugar Beet

Welcome to your next "Crops 101" lesson of the Farming Simulator Academy! This time, we’re focusing on sugar beet and how to plant, care for, harvest, and sell it.

What Is Special About Sugar Beet?

You need special equipment to harvest sugar beet, which makes it more expensive to get started with than many other crops.
You can use sugar beet as part of the feed for pigs.
Sugar beet can be cut with a beet cutter that is attached to a front loader.

What You Need For Sugar Beet

Sugar beet requires specialized equipment. This tutorial uses the more affordable two-step harvesting setup shown above.

Tractor: You need a tractor with enough power for the field work.
Cultivator: Prepares the field. If the field information says plowing is required, use a plow instead.
Planter: Sugar beet is planted with a compatible planter.
Fertilizer spreader: Use it for solid fertilizer and, if the machine supports it, for lime as well.
Hoe: Use a hoe to remove weeds between the rows without damaging the crop.
Haulm topper: The topper cuts off the leaves before harvesting. It is the first part of the two-step harvest.
Beet harvester: This tool lifts the sugar beet from the ground after the leaves have been removed.
Trailer: Use a suitable trailer to transport the harvested sugar beet to a selling point or storage area.

Let’s Get To Work!

If seasonal growth is enabled, plant sugar beet in March or April.

Step 1: Applying lime

Check the field information to see whether lime is required. If so, fill a compatible fertilizer spreader with lime and cover the entire field. If lime is not required, skip this step.

Step 2: Cultivating the field

Prepare the soil and check the field information before you start. If plowing is required, use a plow instead of a cultivator. Otherwise, cultivate the entire field normally.

Need a refresher? See how field preparation works.

Step 3: Planting and first fertilizing

Fill the planter with seeds and select sugar beet. If your planter supports fertilizer, fill that tank as well. Lower and activate the machine, then cover the field. This completes planting and the first fertilization stage in one pass.

New to planters? Here’s our planting guide.

Step 4: Removing weeds

Weeds may appear while the sugar beet is growing. Since it grows in rows, use a hoe to remove them. If crop destruction is enabled, switch to narrow tires once the plants have sprouted to avoid damaging them.

Want to know more about weed control?

Step 5: Fertilizing a second time

After the sugar beet reaches another growth stage, fertilize again. If you used the spreader for lime earlier, unload any leftovers and refill it with solid fertilizer. Cover the field to reach full fertilization.

Want the full rundown? Read our fertilizing guide.

Step 6: Cutting off the haulms

Once the sugar beet is ready, remove the leaves with the haulm topper. With seasonal growth enabled, finish harvesting by the end of November before the crop withers.

Step 7: Harvesting the sugar beet

With the leaves removed, lower and activate the beet harvester. Smaller harvesters fill quickly, so keep a trailer nearby. When the tank is full, extend the unloading pipe over the trailer and empty it before continuing.

Step 8: Selling the sugar beet

Check the prices screen and choose a good selling point. Drive there and unload the trailer in the designated area. Prices change throughout the year, so you can also wait for a better offer.

Tip! Sugar beet cannot be stored in a regular silo. If you want to keep it for later, unload it on the ground or use another suitable storage option.

Processing Sugar Beet: Products

You can process sugar beet instead of selling it directly. The sugar mill turns sugar beet into sugar, which can later be used to make cake or chocolate. Cut sugar beet can also go to the biogas plant.

Well Done!

Congratulations! You now know the basics of growing sugar beet in Farming Simulator. When you’re ready, continue with the next Farming Simulator Academy lesson!