Jo and I have headed out on our next adventure. We are headed to North Dakota to learn about and help with the
American Crystal Sugar Company's sugar beet harvest. American Crystal Sugar Company is a farmer owned coop where one share equals one acre of beets. This determines the number of acres to be planted and harvested. They hire
RVers to come into the Red River Valley to operate the equipment that piles the beets in the valley and over the next 8 months the plants process the beets into the granular sugar we all purchase at our local grocery stores. We left the chained gang at home and hope they continue to have a good winter. Our campground during the harvest is in the small town of Stephen, MN on the northeast side of the valley, in the northwest corner of MN, just 44 miles from the Canadian border. The Red River Valley is a large lake bed from thousands of years ago. Lake Agassiz, (The Red River Valley) was the lake formed by the glacial era and now produces some of the best sugar beets in the USA. The farm land here is a black loam clay soil that grows some great crops. The lay of the land is so flat a marble won't even roll off the highway for miles in the valley. There are 420,000 acres of sugar beets grown in the valley and 39 collection sites, our site is in the Drayton District, where they are stored and processed over winter. The town of Stephen, population 701, is known for their 9-man football team's success, having won the state championship for the last 5 years. We hear the team practicing in the early morning hours, starting at 5:30 AM before school starts. They start at this time due to the farming activities and help needed after school. The trees in this area are already turning to some great fall colors. We hope the weather holds for the harvest to be completed in a timely manner.
American Crystal Sugar Company's sugar beet harvest. American Crystal Sugar Company is a farmer owned coop where one share equals one acre of beets. This determines the number of acres to be planted and harvested. They hire RVers to come into the Red River Valley to operate the equipment that piles the beets in the valley and over the next 8 months the plants process the beets into the granular sugar we all purchase at our local grocery stores. We left the chained gang at home and hope they continue to have a good winter. Our campground during the harvest is in the small town of Stephen, MN on the northeast side of the valley, in the northwest corner of MN, just 44 miles from the Canadian border. The Red River Valley is a large lake bed from thousands of years ago. Lake Agassiz, (The Red River Valley) was the lake formed by the glacial era and now produces some of the best sugar beets in the USA. The farm land here is a black loam clay soil that grows some great crops. The lay of the land is so flat a marble won't even roll off the highway for miles in the valley. There are 420,000 acres of sugar beets grown in the valley and 39 collection sites, our site is in the Drayton District, where they are stored and processed over winter. The town of Stephen, population 701, is known for their 9-man football team's success, having won the state championship for the last 5 years. We hear the team practicing in the early morning hours, starting at 5:30 AM before school starts. They start at this time due to the farming activities and help needed after school. The trees in this area are already turning to some great fall colors. We hope the weather holds for the harvest to be completed in a timely manner. 
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