Any Sugar Beet Harvest workers here?

[Thecampulanceman]

I've been on the road since August 31st and a part of my plan was to make it to the sugar beet harvest. I put that as a goal so that I had a target - a sort of motivator - to get me going.

I made it! I'm in MN and have completed the initial yard training sessions and we're scheduled to start the harvest on Oct. 1st (weather permitting). I arrived at the campground here this past Tuesday and pulled in next to a skoolie, across from a converted cargo trailer, next to a pop up, and in front of a minivan. What a mix of vehicles, people, and stories I've become a part of and so far I'm feeling like I'm right where I'm supposed to be. We spent Friday night around a camp fire talking about all topics and everyone getting comfortable with each other - we've quickly formed a small community here and are sharing rides to town, laundry visits, etc with each other. Unless something dramatically changes, this is going to be a great experience!

The Campulance Man
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7_MPj9wmJRthvTK36v1XlQ?

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[txmnjim]

welcome to MN! i hope the experience continues to be great.
jim

 

[Thecampulanceman]

Hi Jim and thank you!

We're on a stand down due to weather and the harvest start is delayed because of all the rain. Some piling stations are working today but others (including mine) are not. The farmers need to be able to get the trucks in and out of the fields and that's not fully possible right now.

The rain has stopped and yesterday was dry with a breeze so it started to dry things up - I'm hoping that continues. There is a phone call in system that is updated with information on whether or not the stations are running and I confirmed with my foreman that we're not running this morning. I'm calling back in at 11am for the latest update and I hope they get us in for the second half of the day. I was an upstate NY resident so I'm used to poor weather - but in Rochester it was 88 degrees yesterday!!! Compare that to 42 degrees here

I'll be putting videos on my youtube of this whole experience so that other folks can see more info about it - to help them decide if it's something they want to do. When I was looking into this last winter I found some, but not a lot, of videos that people had shared about the harvest and I want to add to that library. Staying strong!

The Campulance Man
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7_MPj9wmJRthvTK36v1XlQ?

 

[1shemp]

The wife and I worked the sugar beet harvest 5 years ago.Tough way to make a living. Good luck.

 

[becida]

Do you know of any other harvests that look for workcampers, pay well & will accept people with zero experience?

 

[maki2]

What will you be doing with the harvest? What is the pay like? I don't understand why the sugar beet seems to take precedence on this forum over every other crop that needs harvesting.

Guy

Apparently they have to hire from outside the area as there is nearly 100% available employment for the residents so there is not a temp labor pool of sufficient size. They might well pay more than other harvest work that takes place in more temperate climate zones.

A bit of research would tell you if it pays more than the potato harvest rates in Idaho, eastern Washington and eastern Oregon
Of course there are also the apple and pear harvest in Eastern WA and Oregon to look at to see those pay rates.

 

[maki2]

Seattle has a minimum wage of $15.00 per hour. It is not illegal to sleep in your van in the city of Seattle.

 

[Thecampulanceman]

So,  people who worked the beet harvest report 13.50 / hour
plus 50% for time over 8 hours/day
plus 50% more for Saturday work
plus double pay on Sunday.
That's all before taxes.

That's correct the money is in the overtime pay. There is money to be made here especially if the harvest goes quick with good weather - that's not this year so far. We haven't worked at all yet due to wet conditions. The harvest officially started on October 1st which was this past Tuesday. We've been on a stand down that is continuing through the weekend. We phone in to a daily update recording and the next update will be tomorrow, so best case we start up on Monday. But that's not guaranteed. It's raining right now and it rained last night which has caused the river to overflow at the campground we're at. I've moved to my 3rd spot up away from the rising water and several people have moved up on to the parking lot and have extension cords stretched to the power poles for their electricity. 

When you imagine how this could go wrong, this is it. Some people have already decided to leave and so now they're shuffling people from site to site to fill in. I committed to this so as of now I'm staying. I'm plugged in, there's hot showers and clean bathrooms, and the local laundry and grocery are sufficient for my needs. There's good Verizon signal with my WeBoost so I'm watching movies, walking Lefty a lot on the local golf course, and editing and uploading videos to keep myself busy. Not the best situation, but not the end of the world.

If anyone else is stuck in a situation like this and you want to kill some time watching me dive into this lifestyle and build my ambulance, look at my youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/thecampulanceman

As for other harvest job opportunities, I can't provide any information unfortunately as I am new to this. I found out about this harvest job from watching Bob talk about it and through workamper.com. If you want to get info on other jobs workamper.com is a resource for you.

 

[LivingOurPeace]

It's only been 13 days since your last post, so maybe you're still working or recovering.
Would love to read an update when you get the time/energy!
Everything I've read on the beet harvest says most of us would need recovery time lol.

 

[Tam O'Bedlam]

It's only been 13 days since your last post, so maybe you're still working or recovering.
Would love to read an update when you get the time/energy! 
Everything I've read on the beet harvest says most of us would need recovery time lol.

I don't know about the OP but I am also in MN working the harvest...kinda. Arrived Sept 22, did not work at all until Oct 19. As of today have worked 3 days, none of them more than 6 hour shifts. The rain/flooding this year in this area is the worst in 30+ years and has made getting equipment into the fields impossible. The harvest will go well into Nov, and even at that most farmers will be lucky to harvest 50% of what they planted. Even what they harvest will be mostly frozen in the next week which makes it worth less $$$. A tough break all around for the farmers and the harvest workers. I have to leave Nov 1 to go on to my next job in KY, so I will have spent 5 weeks here and only worked 7-10 days, so a bust money wise.

For those wondering about the actual work, it's not actually very strenuous, you just need to be able to stand on concrete for a 12 hour shift (normally) in cold temperatures. Lots of RVers doing it in there 60's on up. I am one of only 2 van lifers in my particular area doing this.

 

[crofter]

Do you know of any other harvests that look for workcampers, pay well & will accept people with zero experience?

I picked cucumbers and apples in the PNW, but was bested by other workers who have the whole family helping. Hard to make it when you are one set of hands and your competition is multiple sets of hands. The apple orchard did offer winter work so that is something. Money wise, was really not a money maker due to mechanical problems with the van (I had an old VW van, rebuilt the engine using the idiots guide). Other farm job that was quite lucrative was milking cows, hourly wage plus bonus, and a free workout every day. And if you are reliable and the cows like you, you can get camping at the farm included. Course if you camp there, then you get "the knock" when someone does not show up for work.      ~crofter