Posted by Bob Bancroft on November 20, 2021 at 02:00:24 from (184.53.0.38):
The picture and discussion on the beet knife brought back a flood of memories from my youth. In 1964 PepsiCo broke ground on a 22 million dollar beet processing plant in nearby Montezuma NY, strategically located along the NYS Barge(formerly the Erie)Canal, NYS Thruway(I90), and the main NY Central rail lines.
Many jumped in, and beets were growing everywhere. Some farmers bought beet equipment, and harvested for several other farmers. My extended family worked together at the time. My father didn't grow beets, but we got first hand involvement since my cousin did. His neighbor had a new 4020. As I recall, a topper was mounted underneath the tractor which sliced the tops off the beets. Behind the 4020 was this tall machine with large wheels which plucked the beets out of the ground, carried them up, and dropped them into a bin for later transfer into a truck. This was all JD equipment. There were some other brands around, maybe Farmhand? The harvester was stopped as much as it was moving. We have hard, stony ground. Someone missed that little fact when promoting this whole venture. In 1968 PepsiCo ceased operations and leased the plant to someone else. Soon enough, beet harvesters were seen rotting away in hedgerows. In 1975 the plant was sold and converted to be Clinton Corn. Then in 1982 ADM takes over and simply uses some of the facility for a transfer/shipment point.
Apparently this little fiasco didn't hurt Pepsi much?
Ironically, Montezuma is surrounded by muck. Some of the most productive ground in the world. At the time, potatoes and onions were grown there. I don't recall any beets being grown there. Now, interestingly enough, the potatoes and onions are gone, and this most precious land is simply growing corn and beans.
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