MICHIGAN SUGAR YOUTH SUGARBEET PROJECT

Designed specifically for youth in the sugarbeet producing areas of Michigan, the Youth Project seeks to promote education and interest in sugarbeets. The program is for all youths who wish to participate in a supervised sugarbeet project sponsored by Michigan Sugar Company.

Objectives of the project are: (1) to help Youth Project members learn and effectively apply recommended cultural and production practices used toward sugarbeet production; (2) to teach members why cooperation is necessary between growers and processors, and (3) to familiarize members with the sugarbeet industry. These objectives can be attained by: (1) attending and participating in a Youth Sugarbeet Project orientation meeting prior to starting their project; (2) inviting your sugarbeet company agriculturalist and other industry personnel to attend your 4-H club or FFA chapter meetings or a Michigan Sugar Company Youth Program meeting and (3) participating in beet field tours to discuss production practices.

BENEFITS AND AWARDS

Each year a place of interest is selected by the Youth Advisory Committee and offered to each participant to attend as a group in an outing every summer. Places visited in the past have been Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, Lansing Lugnuts baseball game, and a golf outing with their parents.

Award Banquets in each growing area are held between December and January. At these banquets the participants are recognized and awarded for their accomplishments. One out of 15 participants in each growing area will receive a Prestige Grower Award and one for each five participants or fraction thereof will be awarded as Premier Grower.

Each year when the growing contracts are committed, the students are offered to participate in our Sugarbeet Project. This begins in January of the growing year. If you are interested, please be sure to contact one of Michigan Sugar Company's Agriculturists in your growing area.