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Beet Harvest


mant

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We have not but we have friends who did so for a couple of years. It is hard work and long hours that is sometimes in nasty weather but it pays very well with overtime most days and they made a lot of money in a short period of time. The reason that they stopped was that it is difficult if you have arthritis or other health issues but they had high praise for the employers and the financial results!

 

I make this response, just in case none of those who have experienced this happen to read your post. With luck some will join in and give better information than I can.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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I worked the beet harvest for 3 seasons in ND and WY. What Kirk refers to is true. If you work for one of the big sugar companies, you will probably be assigned to a piling station. That is where dump trucks and trailers come to unload sugar beets. The beet harvest is usually 24 hours a day, until weather permits all beets to be lifted and hauled. Conditions are often very tough outside at the piling station, money is good.

 

If you have a truck driving or tractor experience, I would recommend doing as I did. Work directly for a farmer. They often provide FHU site/motel room and good hourly wage with lots of overtime.

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Thanks for the replies! Can you just show up at one of the farms and get work or should I arrange before hand? I can drive just about anything (was in construction for 30 yrs with many different pieces of equipment owned and operated) so it seems like one of the farms would be a good fit. When does the season start and end?

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Would someone please define "good money" i.e. what is the hourly rate for the first 40 hrs? Is overtime over 8 in a day or over 40 per week?

The people I've talked to about it work 12 hour days, 7 days a week. Anything over 40 is overtime. So on a Monday thru Sunday pay week, anything past Thursday noonish is overtime.

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins

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The people I've talked to about it work 12 hour days, 7 days a week. Anything over 40 is overtime. So on a Monday thru Sunday pay week, anything past Thursday noonish is overtime.

 

At what base hourly rate? Is $12/hr currently offered? $15? $25?

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I worked 3 seasons at a piling station in Stephen MN. I was working for American Crystal Sugar but was hired by Express Employment Professionals in Grand Forks ND. First season ground helpers typically made just under $11/hr with a 5% bonus if they finished at least 2 weeks. Other positions were available such as piler operator (about $13/hr), scale house, foreman (about $18/hr), mechanics and mechanics helpers, and skidsteer operators. Overtime was by day. If you showed up and worked 12 hrs (standard shift), the first 8 would be straight time and the remainder would be overtime. If your shift started on a Saturday, the entire 12 hrs would be time and a half. If your shift started on a Sunday, the entire 12 hrs would be double time. The official start of the harvest is October 1 but they also do a pre-pile in September that you can volunteer for. No 12 hr shifts or weekends and you might have to drive to nearby piling sites for work but your campsite is still paid for the entire month and you get paid straight time for all hours worked. Depending on the weather and piling station, you (or a couple) could make a decent amount of money. They also paid me as if I was in my home state (FL) so no state taxes were deducted.

 

Is it hard work? It can be depending on your particular job and the weather. I've worked in shirt sleeves to long johns. A good foreman will make sure nobody freezes or suffers from heat stroke. :D

 

I would highly recommend signing up early so you can get direct deposit. They also have a EBT card option which has some pitfalls.

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I know a number of people who work the beet crop, thinning and weeding and then,

mostly for the month of September and part of October they work the piling station. They do this on the ND, MN border

near the Red River. The hourly pay that they receive is between $12 and $13 per hour with overtime after

8 hours per day. They work 12 or more hours per day, 7 days a week with no days off. They work so many hours

that they don't have the time to spend money and if they complete the harvest there may be a bonus. These people are migrant

farmworkers from South Texas. You must have the beets in piles above ground before it freezes or you will not get the frozen beets out of the ground.

That is why it is called piling and you see lots of these piles of sugar beets all around because they only have so much land near the sugar mills.

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looking for corn harvest cdl drivers, late Sept to Early Nov. Older nice Petes with newer Timpte Hoppers wilth electric roll tarps. 40 hours guaranteed for October, $15 base, will advance quickly, bonuses possible. Family operation, fun productive work atmosphere 10 hour days, no Sundays unless weather coming in.

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Not Sugar Beets but corn harvest and for the most part less stress in corn harvest as timing isn't as critical. I will be looking for a drama free driver from approximately late September to Early November for our corn harvest.

Might I suggest that you list your position on the Escapee's free Workers Wanted listing? You would probably get a better response. Also in looking through your post, I see no way for a potential worker to contact you.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Might I suggest that you list your position on the Escapee's free Workers Wanted listing? You would probably get a better response. Also in looking through your post, I see no way for a potential worker to contact you.

Thank you very much for the tips! Just discovered this forum through one of my Ag forums. Apologies for not doing my due diligence. Will try and get something up soon. Anyone interested before I get an ad up can contact Lynda @ 308-352-8184 or luluatgpcomdotnet.

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