The Sugar Beet Harvest is back on!

Corinne Working 4 Comments

The snow has melted.  The fields have dried.  The sugar beet harvest is back on!

We’ve had some warmer days with bright sunshine. What a difference!

Life has fallen into a routine.  Jim gets up at 5:00 a.m. and gets an hour of “me time.”  His “breakfast” is his big meal of the day, so I try to have something ready for him.  You can’t eat bacon and eggs everyday, so breakfast often doesn’t look like a traditional breakfast.

Today’s big meal was spaghetti and meatballs in the Instant Pot. I was not willing to get up at 5:00 a.m. to make this happen, so I assembled it the night before. I left Jim some Instant Pot instructions (i.e. push a button) so he got it started. By the time I got up at 6:00, “breakfast” was ready! I know the thought of spaghetti and meatballs for breakfast will make some stomachs turn. But it works for us.

Jim’s lunch gets packed (sandwich and various other snacks) and he’s ready to go.

Jim’s lunch cooler is on the left. The white duffel bag is his winter clothing. When he worked the harvest two years ago, he got really chilled one night helping during a breakdown. So now he takes extra clothing. This harvest he has yet to open the duffel bag. Figures.
Then we are out the door in the dark at 6:30-ish. I drive Jim to work so I can have the car during the day.
Jim and the rest of the day harvest crew arrive at the shop by 7:00 a.m. From here they are driven out to whatever field is being harvested and take over from the night shift.
I then head back to the RV with the sun starting to rise.

I now have the day to myself.  I have a long list of RV tasks that I have been saving for this time.  I’ve done exciting things like clean the refrigerator, check the expiration date on our LP Monitor, wash the leather couch, etc.  Be still my beating heart.

My day may include a trip to the local fabric store. Yes, I have a particular project in mind for this stash!

I won’t see Jim until around 9:00 tonight when he calls me to pick him up from the shop.  It’s a long 14 hour day for him…an hour to get to the field and swap drivers, twelve hours driving, swap drivers again and another hour to get back to the shop.  Jim is really enjoying being part of a team contributing to a successful harvest.

Jim was called back to work four days ago.  The first day he was brought in to help haul corn to the co-op elevator (the beet fields still weren’t ready then, but the corn was).  But the next day he was back on sugar beets.

Sproule Farms and all the farmers are still looking for drivers, not only for sugar beets but for the entire harvest.  Anyone have truck experience and want a job?

Jim must have proven his worth.  He’s been promoted to “instructor”.  A few new drivers have come on board the last few day.  While hauling corn, Jim was asked to have one of the new guys ride with him to show the newbie the route the corn trucks take.

Now that they are back hauling sugar beets, Jim “led a parade” with new drivers and their trucks following him. Why? The Sproule truck crew was switched from delivering at the Reynolds piling station (location that only piles beets to be delivered to the factory later) to the Hillsboro Factory.  None of the new guys had driven to Hillsboro, whereas Jim has (granted it was two years ago). Jim was told to lead the other 3 truck with the new drivers to Hillsboro and instruct via the radio all the ins and outs of approaching the Hillsboro pilers. He got it done!  (Photo borrowed from Sproule Farm’s Facebook page.)

So today is the sixth day of hauling beets.  It typically takes fourteen days to bring the beets in, dependent upon how many acres of beets the farmer has.  Sproule has a lot.  So we are here for a while. 

it’s not all fun and games.  Hauling beets is serious business and the truck drivers and everyone on the roads have to be careful. I know I am extra careful driving around town,  There are beet trucks everywhere, even in town.

There was an accident between two beet trucks yesterday, one full and one empty. No one was killed, but one driver was air lifted to the hospital.  Authorities have not said what happened. (Photo from Valley News.)

Hopefully the harvest will finish quickly, safely and uneventfully.  Then it will be time for us to wander home.  So today, I’m going to cut up some fabric and maybe go buy a lottery ticket ($1.6 billion jackpot!!!!).  Then again, maybe I’ll spend the money on fabric instead.  That investment is a sure thing!

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4 thoughts on “The Sugar Beet Harvest is back on!”

  1. Jeanne & Dennis

    Jim & Corinne,
    You nspirine is to learn more and explore more!
    Great to hear how even whilst under duress,
    You both evolve and contribute to whole!

    We have just returned from Nova Scotia and
    Celtic Colours music festival.
    Nice trip over the big bridge to P E I too.
    Twas oh so good to see smell and taste fall!

  2. dominiquefeather

    Glad to hear that Jim is back to work. That is quite a morning routine that you have!!!! Did they lose any of the beets because of the cold temps. and snow?

    1. Corinne Post author

      Believe it or not, beets will heal themselves. So I haven’t heard of any of the beet crop lost. Jim did say some of the soy beans were froze and they did loose those. But most of the beets are coming out of the ground!

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