Two weeks ago Paul Borgen found out that an 80-acre sugar beet field that looked fine from the field edge indeed was infected with root rot.
Root rot is a soil-borne fungus disease that can destroy the beet root.
American Crystal Sugar Co. was doing one of its random field checks to make beet yield and quality projections for the company. Further checks on the Borgens' other farms showed that 25 percent of the acreage had some root rot damage. Borgen's crop insurance agent said the RMA told him the company no longer was going to pay claims on sugar beets in the region. Payments vary on a farmer's crop production history and the level of coverage he or she buys. When Borgen talked to Sparby and an agent, they suggested the RMA was considering taking his 70 percent infestation level and reducing his payment on that field by 30 percent.