A demonstration and farm tour of sugar beet harvesting at Stracathro Estates, Aberdenshire.

Farmers with an interest in sugar beet will have an opportunity to see how sugar beet is grown and harvested at a farm demonstration event at Stracathro Estates, at Brae of Pert, Brechin.

Scotland has a long history of growing sugar beet, but in recent years there have been only limited harvests, usually for use as an anaerobic digester feedstock. The Grangemouth chemicals industry is showing interest in beet as source of sustainable raw material with a lower carbon footprint than fossil fuels, suggesting that a larger market may soon be within reach.

This demonstration follows on from well-attended online farmer focus group meetings where a good deal of interest was shown in growing beet. There will be an opportunity to see the estate’s harvester in action and learn more about the crop and equipment required.

The farm tour will include viewing the crop, seeing the harvester and cleaning equipment in action and a description of the AD plant. Members of the Sugar Beet Project group from SAC Consulting (Part of Scotland’s Rural College – SRUC), SAOS, IBioIC, and farmer representatives will be on hand to present the projects objectives and next steps.