Heat & Help Among Issues for Sugar Beet Growers Leading up to Main Harvest Campaign
Ada, MN — Sugar beet growers throughout the Red River Valley are gearing up for sugar beet hauling campaign, which is scheduled to begin this Friday, October 1st. The crop looks to be in good shape and field conditions will be excellent for hauling. However, there are still a few concerns that could setback growers this fall. Temps for the scheduled start of harvest are expected to reach into the 70s during the day, which may great for prehaul, but Neil Rockstad, President of the Red River Valley Sugar Beet Growers, says that’s not conducive for storage during the main campaign.
Finding enough help, specifically truck drivers, to complete the harvest continues to be a struggle for a lot of farmers in the Red River Valley. All will get by with the help they have, but could always use more, according to Rockstad. Although in recent years it’s gotten more and more difficult to find harvest help, but they continue to try and think outside the box to draw in harvest workers.
While driving truck during the fast-paced sugar beet harvest may be intimidating to those who have never done it, most farms will happily train until you are comfortable. Rockstad there’s a lot of comradery in being part of the harvest team, and there’s some good money to be made in a short amount of time.
Find sugar beet harvest jobs on the Red River Valley Sugar Beet Growers website, www.rrsga.com. Listen to the full interview with Neil Rockstad below: