Sugar Beet Harvest: Is It Worth the Work?
The Sugar Beet Harvest is a unique work opportunity for those that want to work for a short amount of time for a good size lump of money. But is it worth the work? Lets take a look at what the sugar beet harvest is and draw some conclusions about it if it is worth it or not!
The sugar beet harvest or the “Unbeetable Experience,” is an annual event, held in some northern states for people that RV. That is not to say you have to have an RV to perform at this job, and some do offer housing possible for a fee, but it does cater to people who live in a RV. The season for harvesting usually starts in October and can take a couple or a few weeks until completion, depending on the weather. The weather can rain or snow since it is late in the season for our northern friends, but right on time for the sugar beets. If you are interested in work camping with other opportunities, click this LINK to find out more!
Sugar beets are what they say they are: sugar. Farmers grow them and when they are ready to harvest, they need many hands to do just that. The farmers and the field hands are not enough. This sugar can be sold world-wide as that is what they are grown for, so lots of sugar beets need to be harvested at the right time, and that time is in the fall, when temperatures are starting to cool.
The sugar beets are grown in these states: Montana, Michigan, Minnesota (the 3 M’s!), Idaho and Wyoming. There may be more, but this is where the RV crowds come to work. You can make around $2000 to $3000 per person, not per couple if you are part of a couple, in a month or less! That is a lot of sweet moola in your pockets! It could definitely help you get started with your winter travels. Interested? Lets find out how YOU can get started!
Express Employment: This is THE place that hires you and places you where you want to be. You will go to this website: theunbeetableexperience.com and apply online.
You will work HARD: Everyday for about 10-15 days, depending on weather. Expect to be on your feet for 12 hours.
You will get a free RV site: Woo hoo! Ask about housing if you do not have a RV.
Meet fellow travelers: A bonus as you can make new friends, even friends for life.
Dress WARMLY: Temperatures start to drop, so make sure you have plenty of warm clothes.
You will get dirty: Expect that, so do not wear your best fashionable clothes, but maybe clothes from Goodwill.
Work EVERYDAY!
And something very important: The money! As of right now, 2023, you can make up to $3700 per person, so if you are part of a couple you could drive away with $7400! What an awesome way to start the winter months!
If you come back for a second year and more, you could earn more money and/or work in different positions, even management and really get the big bucks!
But, is it worth the work? Well, yes and no. Lets look at the pros and cons:
Pros:
Make a lot of money.
Meet new people.
Learn a new skill.
Work up to a possible management position if returning more than once.
No experience is required, they will train you.
Cons:
On your feet 12 hours.
Working in very cold temperatures.
Might have to endure rain or snow.
Hard work.
If traveling south for the winter, might take a lot of that sweet money you just earned, for gas, campground fees and more.
Lets look at that last sentence, “If traveling south for the winter, might take a lot of that sweet money you just earned.” If you plan to stay near the states you worked the sugar beet harvest in, it would be worth the money to work there. But if you plan to travel to sunny states, like Arizona or Florida, then you might want to think about if it is worth it to travel so far and spend the money you worked so hard for on gas, rather than on fun stuff.
This is why we chose NOT to work the sugar beet harvest, at least for now. You might be asking yourself, how does she know about the sugar beet harvest and did not work there? I have talked to others about it and found out their experiences. It was not worth it for us to work in Montana or any of the other sugar beet states and travel to Arizona afterwards as a lot of the money would have gone towards diesel. However, since we are a couple we would have made more money than a single person.
It is an experience that I think many should try, at least once, to see what the “Unbeetable Experience” is all about. If you can live off the money your earned and enjoy a winter of traveling on that money, then go for it! Who knows, maybe someday we might try it!
Share with us if you went on the “Unbeetable Experience!”