Sugar beets are a major contributor to the Unites States sweetener industry, and occur in a vast range of different food products. Total world production was estimated in 2000 to be 126,500 metric tons, from which 37% originated from sugar beets and 63% from sugar cane.

Sugar beets were first grown in central and eastern Nebraska in the late 1800’s. Production moved into western Nebraska and the Panhandle early in the 20th century, due in large part because of increasingly severe problems with Cercospora leaf spot. Factories were built at Scottsbluff and Bayard in 1910 and 1917, respectively. Nebraska currently ranks 8th in the U.S. and generally ranges between 50,000-60,000 acres planted per year, with a high of 80,000 in 2000. Sugar beets are additionally a very important crop economically and are estimated to contribute more than $60,000,000 to the local economy.

Diseases are an important constraint to profitable production, particularly the root diseases. Because of the long history of beet production in western Nebraska, diseases are a consistent concern, and research is constantly ongoing to develop new disease tolerant cultivars as well as other methods for managing diseases practically and profitably.