The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1947-09-18
Holly Sugar Corp. Beet Dumps to Open In
Area Monday; Labor Situation
For Coming Harvest Said TO Be Uncertain
Mechanical Hdrvesters
Are Expected
To Help With Crop

The Holly Sugar corporations
beet dumps for the Hardin fac
tory will open next Monday,
Sept. %. to receive beets, COM
pany officials announced re-
Gently
Farm operators are faced
with an uncertain labor supply,
with present laborers in the
county lower in number than
they have been for the past
several years. Mechanical har-
vesters, it was pointed out,
would make up for a part of
the labor deficit, and both the
sugar company and extension
service are continuing to try to
recruit additional labor.
All beet raisers were urged to
take full advantage of all avail
able labor and mechanical
equipment early in the season
to avoid crop loss by freezing.
According to figures released
by County Agent N. A. Jacob
sen, there are at present 30
Mexican nationals and 80 Tex
ans in the county, all of whom
are assigned on farms. In adj
dition, 80 Mexican nationals are
expected to arrive the last
of this month and the first of
next as a part of the redistri-
button of labor from other
states.
Jacobsen said this group was
allocated to Big Horn county on
a basis of the total beet acre
age and that the county would
receive 10 per cent of all avail
able workers.
Recruiting agencies of the
sugar company are at work in
Texas, and there is a possibil-
lty that more individual work
ers may come from this area.
since this type of labor is also
needed In Texas, however, pros
poets are only fair. The Extern
sion service, operating under
the emergency farm 1aaoor pr0-
gram, is also attempting to
lind farm labor in various seq
tons of the country.
Neither the company nor the
extension service, however, can
promise any specific number Of
workers above those already
contracted for. I'VE can only
say" jacobsen stated. chat;
every effort is being made to
II additional laboners do ar
rive, they will be placed where
the need is greatest by the su-
gar company field men and the
farm labor agent at the ex-
ised.
The local situation is COM
pllcated by the fact that this
Is the harvest season for other
crops besides sugar beets in
many parts of the nation, the
county agent pointed out. Wyo-
ming and Colorado are exper-
fencing great difficulty in OBJ
tanning beet labor, and fruit
and produce crops in the Paci-
TIC Northwest are draining
many workers into that area
althoug enough are not oh
talnable in that section.
S@N oAC Do 1I1cClldOlCdl mar
gesters in Big Horn county.
Jacobsen said. All are privateIv
owned. The capacity of these
machines varies according tn
weather and soil conditions.
Under favorable conditions. it
was estimated that they could
average between two and three
acres of sugar beets per ma
chine per day. With good
weather, the mechanical har-
Vesters could harvest one fourth
OF the total beet acreage in the
county under favorable condf-
lions.
There are 8,145 acres of beets
to be harvested, the county
agent said. Fields have all made
a good growth, with no partic-
ular insect or weather damage
so present indications are for -
better than average yield, he
added.
NNpTrS pray~-