Sugar Beet Harvester

I was just getting ready to restart my flooring project when the phone rang. It was 8:57 a.m. It was my friend Bobby.

"Hey, you wanna go see a self-propelled beet harvester that my son-in-law is running?"

How could I resist that?

An hour and 45 minute drive, and we were there.

The beet harvester was huge, with blades to dig it up, and blades to chop off the tops. It then spit out the tops like a lawnmower. Row after row after row.

The only trouble? The harvester filled the wagon that ran alongside it, and the wagon filled the semi-trucks. But, there were only 2 semi-truck drivers, and they couldn't keep up. Plus, after being loaded with the beets...every truck was stuck in the field, needing to be towed out by a tractor.

The prices of farm equipment astound me. They were leasing the harvester (it came from Germany) on a lease-to-buy program. Lease for 1 year...40 thousand dollars. Cost to buy...340 thousand dollars. AND...THAT"S FOR A RE-CONDITIONED MODEL!!! If it was new, it costs 550 thousand. And, the tow system to pull out the semis? 6 thousand dollars.

Leaving the beets, Bobby drove one of the tractors 8 miles away...to a soy bean field. We then hopped on a combine to test the wetness of the beans. 13% is ideal to pick, and 15% is acceptable. The reading was 17.5. They were not to be harvested, but they were hoping to pick them real soon.

I did cross one thing off my bucket list. Just through the sugar beet field...I drove the same tractor Bobby drove. WOO-HOO! Farmer Green-jeans...that's what I felt like.

WAY too many pictures on my FLICKR PAGE, but it was a very educational day.