Hey Honey, Wonna Harvest Sugar Beets?
During the spring of 2023 we started looking for work camper positions to take on while traveling, we figured it would be an easy way to make money. I came across the sugar beet harvest and figured what a fun way to make money and see Montana since that was the state Brian wanted to see. So I asked him do you want to work the beet harvest? He was a little hesitant at first but once we read up on it more, we decided to apply.
We had our interview in May over the phone with Teri and waited to hear back about the start date. We told family and friends about it and everyone thought we were going to be performing back braking tasks. They imagined a felid full of beets and we would be bent over pulling them out of the ground. Nope, that wasn’t it at all.
We got the date of when to arrive in Culbertson, Montana for the orientation which would be several days after our arrival. We were told we would be parked next to a casino. In my mind, it would be a big casino with a huge piece of land. We were told we would be working twelve-hour days and we need to stock up on food for two weeks.
We also were told it could potentially snow while we were there so we needed clothing that would keep us warm due to working outside. We were full of excitement to think we would be heading to Montana at the end of September, we had four months before we would leave on the journey northward.
The journey from South Texas to Sugar Beets Land
When planning our route we looked at how many miles it would take us to get there and how far we would drive daily. We researched where would be stopping to stay the night and how many free camping spots we could find. When we left the drilling rig we had made reservations to stay in Fredericksburg for three weeks then headed to Seabee park Abilene tx.
Seabee park was nice with free campsites and gorgeous sunsets and sunrises. We arrived early enough in the day that we had the perfect spot with a lake view. It was private, we left the cats out while we were sitting outside. As the day went on we saw more campers pulling into the park. People would park in various places even down by the water in the dirt areas. The next day we hit the road and headed to Big Texan RV Park.
We stayed four days at Big Texan RV Park where they also have their own restaurant. We stayed here as well when we headed to south Texas. We like this RV park and enjoyed the time while there this time around. We took a day and went to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Such a great place to visit and hike the landscape is just amazing. We also went to Cadilac Ranch which was pretty interesting!
The next stop was Kansas, we stayed at a farmer’s house for two days with boodockers welcome. We love Kansas, the sunsets are just beautiful and the people are really nice. While we were out sightseeing we stopped by Dodge City and Garden City. We also stopped at the local casino, and I had no idea just how many casinos there are throughout the country.
The next night we stayed at Pals Brewing Company in Nebraska. What a fun little place to check out if you are in the area. Brian loved their in-house beer. We stayed in a field next to the parking lot which was very quiet. We had a handful of neighbors the next morning when we woke up. We love using Harvest Host to try breweries, wineries, and museums. The next day we headed out to Kingsley Dam Resort in Nebraska. We loved watching the sunset over the lake.
The next day we headed to South Dakota and stayed two days in someone’s backyard with boondockers welcome. Where they had horses in the field next to us. The sky was very beautiful at night. We were just outside Rapid City, so we decided to visit Sturgis and took a tour of the motorcycle museum.
Hello Sugar Beet Country
We arrived in Miles City, Montana for the night at stayed at Tongue River Vineyard & Winery, also a Harvest Host. We loved the spot we had right next to the grapes. Once set up for the night we went into town to walk around and went into the oldest bar in Montana. Historic Montana Bar is rustic with a rich history. The bartender handed us a brochure about it, around during Prohibition, and sold sodas. A bullet hole is still in the wall from a gentleman checking his gun before walking out. They have several heads of cattle on the back wall, one of the longhorns he landed in Montana during a cattle drive from Texas in the early 1900’s.
We stopped in a local thrift store to see about snow gear for the job. The above picture was taken at the town square where they have a pond that also serves as a pole during summer months. Now if that isn’t something to see. People were extremely nice, even saw a young man wearing boot spurs.
Sugar Beats in Culbertson, Montana
We arrived in a very small town of fewer than eight hundred people and it took some time to locate the casino. It wasn’t as grand as I thought it would be, it was a small casino with a bar and restaurant attached inside. In Montana, no more than twenty machines are allowed in a spot other than on Indian Reservations. So we located the lot we were staying in and there were two other campers.
It was arrive and choose your spot, no welcoming person or assigned spots. The next day we went into Sidney to do our orientation and met some people we would be working with. Paperwork was easy and the information video was ok, they hire around a thousand people each year to work the harvest.
Let the Sugar Beet Drop
Thursday came and we went to the yard to learn about the machines we would be using and meet the supervisor. We were all geared up to start working on Saturday but we got a lot of rain. Something that is interesting is if there is too much rain, wind, or the temperature of the beets that rises above 50 degrees the beets can not be harvested. So we waited to start working because the rain had flooded the yard and for the trucks to deliver it needs to be well drained.
There are two crews that work twelve-hour shifts, and one farmer works his trucks 24 hours a day until the harvesting is complete. We were part of the day crew and stayed a mile away from the yard which we could see from our camper. The first couple of days working the weather was nice, we watched the sun rise and set each day while working. At each piler, there are five to six people working it.
So the dump trucks pull in and drive up to the piler, conveyer belt pulls the beets through and loads them onto the boom. The person working the sugar beets piler also works the boom to make sure that the beets don’t pile too high on either side. There are two people who are up in the controller station, one person gathers the samples for the lab, and two people are usually walking around gathering the beets that might fall around the trucks or even the beet pile.
One day we got sent home early due to the sugar beet temperature rising above fifty degrees, and two days it was too windy, working in the elements isn’t necessarily easy but it was worth it. Once we got to know the job and what was expected and the people we worked with were nice enough. Every year they bring in several work campers for Montana, Wyoming, and Minnesota.
In the above picture, you will see a dump truck in the right corner unloading the beets, Pat in the left picture showing us how to collect a sample, and the right bottom is sugar beets that cracked open. They are white on the inside, there are red and golden sugar beets that are rare, and the workers that have been working the harvest get super excited when spotted. There is a pile of dirty ones and all of a sudden you see red or golden.
Some of the workers took some of the rare sugar beets and cooked them to eat. They said it tasted a little sweeter than the regular beets. The size of most of the sugar beets was human-head-sized, some were smaller but not really the size of the beets you buy in the store. Some of the sugar beets would get stuck in the sample shot and we would have to get a stick to poke around and remove them. The amount of sugar beets harvested yearly is a high number.
The truckers have been working for years with the farmers and know the supervisor we worked with, his name is Pat. Pat is a local to the area and owned a farm several years ago, he is an easy-to-work-with person. The trucks usually would talk for about forty minutes or so from the time they left the yard. The truckers all predict how long the harvest will last and hang out at the casino in town to have a beer.
The work was pretty easy and a great workout. We worked two weeks straight and when the work is complete you have forty-eight hours to leave. God willing we will be back in Montana for the harvest this year. If you think this is something you might want to give a try contact us and we will get you to the right people!
