Sugar beet harvesting

This is the beet harvester

Because the field is so long, and the capacity of the harvester bin is not big enough (and our beets yielded well), my father had to run back and forth and take beets

This is them loading beets

Any questions or comments, or if you want more pics, please e-mail me at jon_schenk@hotmail.com

Down here they run those semis right out in the field and it takes four trucks to keep up with one topper.

Trailers are different also. Look like a large bear cage on wheels. :>)

Thanks for the pictures,

Allan

Just courious!

Jim

Really don't understand that extra step; once ya get 'em loaded, get 'em hauled. Not to mention the cost of that loader.

'Course, guess the cost of the other trucks would be a princely sum too. :>)

Does that look like a grain truck to you? Sure looks odd for a beet truck with the tarp and all.

Dunno, different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Allan

Mitch

The U.S. has trade restrictions on foreign sugar to try and keep it out of our country so the price will be inflated enough so that U.S. growers can make a profit. In a checks and balance system the U.S. also has production quotas on U.S. sugar farmers. So much of the quota is given to beets and so much is given to cane.

Now the question I would have is where do you fall in (quota or trade restriction) since you grow the beets out of the country but use a plant in the U.S. to process your beets.

This topic is big news around here every year when the quota comes out because I live in a big sugar cane area.
If you look at the big picture you will see all the jobs the U.S. has lost to plants that use sugar (candy makers and others) moving to Mexico or Canada to try and get away from high sugar prices.
Do not get me wrong. I feel for the farmer and think some of them need help but like most government aid it benefits less than 2% of the farmers with 50% of the aid. Helping big mega farm cartels is not helping farmers in my book.