When I got off this morning, there was a farmer digging beets just outside the gate to the plant, so I decided to get a couple of pics and some video of the operation.

It is quite an operation, and none stop. And this is one of the smaller farmers. The large farms have machines that can do up to 12 rows at a time!  That is a scary thought! Thats a lot of beets fast!

I just thought that you might like to see some of the actual harvesting. I also got a quick couple of shots in the yard where the "pilers" are. Quite a neat operation!

This is a "piler"...the trucks pull thru on each side on the left end, dump their load into the feeder holes, the beets then move up the conveyor and get "shook" up to get dirt off of them....

when they are "sorted/cleaned up some, they are run out the main boom and "piled up" while they wait to get run into the plant to be cleaned/sliced/crushed/boiled/cooked and sugar extracted from them.  The pulp that is left over is piled back up outside and farmers and ranchers and feedlots buy to supplement feed for their cattle/pigs/etc.