Editor’s note: This is third story in a series following the 2024 growing season with Matt Frostic of Applegate, Mich. Read the first two here: Michigan corn grower hones in on fertilizer, nitrogen placement and Michigan grower Matt Frostic provides harvest outlook.

Harvest is telling the story for 2024, with high and low swings in yield depending on the impact of excessive early-season rain in Michigan’s thumb region, says Matt Frostic, who farms 1,200 acres of sugarbeets, edible beans, soybeans and corn in Applegate, Mich.

“In August and September, we got timely rains, and then the water shut off and it became too dry, especially for digging sugarbeets,” he says. “But for all the other crops, harvest was relatively easy and uneventful.”

Frostic has about 320 acres of beets, and he works with other farms, “the dig club,” to harvest 1,000 acres.

Sugarbeet digging was a stop-and-go operation as warm fall temps halted operations at times when beet temperature was above 53 degrees F, creating spoilage risk in piling.

“Logistics were challenging due to the need to crew up and manage part-time workers,” says Frostic, who pivoted to corn harvest. “We had tar spot early and then late, so with the cornstalk compromised, we were happy to get the corn off.”

Corn standability issues and lodging were problems in the area, but most corn was harvested timely, he adds.

His corn ranged from 220 to 270 bushels per acre, with 15.5% to 19% moisture, while soybeans yielded about 50 to 70 bpa and came off extremely dry, at 11% to 13%. An overpopulation of deer took about 30 to 40 acres of his soybeans.

“We had really good conditions at harvest, and we didn't burn a lot of propane for drying,” Frostic says. “Fuel consumption and labor were also down, and maybe we didn’t break as many parts.”

Dry beans were challenging, yielding 20 to 27 cwt bags per acre. “The wet weather had a big impact,” Frostic says.

Sugarbeet yield ranged from 27 to 39 tons per acre, with sugar content around 16.5% to 17%. Typically, he likes to dig beets between Oct. 20 and Nov. 10. “But with warm temps, we went about another week into the season,” says Frostic, noting the rains made it important to stay on top of disease management.

Another metric for measuring, Frostic delivered 280 to 300 pounds of recoverable raw white sugar per ton. “The focus is more sugar per ton than pounds at the factory — what you actually get out of the root,” he explains.

Michigan Sugar Co., a cooperative owned by the growers, estimates the average tonnage to be about 30 to 31 tons with 16.7% sugar content when harvest is complete. Although that’s down from an early forecast of 36 tons, growers are relieved because high tonnage would likely have triggered a set-aside (leave in the field) for growers.

“Some fields had issues with leaf spot disease, affecting both tonnage and sugar content,” Frostic says.

Family involvement

Success can be measured in many ways. For Frostic, it’s been watching the next generation come into the operation.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” he says from the cab of a sugarbeet harvester. “Working alongside the next generation has provided some awesome moments in my world. That's been a huge success for me to watch my daughters come in with my sons-in-law — teaching them, showing them and then letting go. That’s about as cool as anything you can do in farming — that handoff little bits at a time. That’s what I look forward to.”

FARM FAMILY FUN: The next generation not only enjoys farming together, but they also are true friends. Pictured are Daniel Sprague, Joey Noll, Katelyn Noll and Jake Noll.

His oldest twin daughter, Katelyn, is an agronomist who helps out on the farm. “She’s driving the other beet harvester right now,” he adds. She’s married to Jake Noll, whose family works with the Frostics beet harvesting, which includes his father, Mike, brother Joe, uncle Mark and his wife, Brandi.

Frostic’s other daughter, Reagan, is in charge of cattle on the farm. Her husband, Daniel Sprague, also helps on the farm when he’s not trucking during the day.

Rounding out the crew is Frostic’s wife, Traci, and other daughter Gabrielle, who is a hygienist. They step up and deliver meals to the field, as well as Mike’s wife, Jordan. “They have the all-important job of keeping us fed,” Frostic says.

Traci Frostic adds, “It’s amazing to be close friends with your son-in-law’s parents. Then to be able to farm together adds another element. Then when our kids hang out, farm together and get along so well, we are just beyond blessed.”

Looking ahead

“We had tremendous yields that we’re very grateful for, which will help with these tight margins,” Matt Frostic says.

He’s on the lookout for cheaper inputs, while capturing higher profit margins in the markets. “We badly need to move this corn to foreign buyers,” says Frostic, who serves as a board member of the National Corn Growers Association.

While work continues to develop new buyers of American grains, he will also explore new opportunities and expansion in dry beans and sugarbeets.

He’s always looking into new seed varieties and preemergent products to control waterhemp — a new weed on the farm.

“We’re preparing the ground for next year and remain optimistic, even when farming for profit seems pretty hard right now.”