On to Sugar Beet Harvest in Stephen, Minnesota
After leaving Minot, ND on Sept. 23, we drove a couple hundred miles east into Minnesota. Here we joined our friend Rich who is a foreman for the Stephen, MN sugar beet dump during the fall 2011 harvest. This week we attended an orientation and will undergo a four hour training. We have also been able to get acquainted with this very nice farming community. The town has a population of just over 800.

Here is a photo from Google Earth. The yellow pin on the right shows the beet dump, i.e. the scale house and two "run-way like" stretches on both sides of the dump. Not really visible are the two gigantic beet pilers. The farmers in this coop truck the beets here where they are piled (about 20' high rectangular piles) prior to being transported to the sugar plant. Stephen is shown on the left with the yellow pin highlighting the town's RV park.

This photo, also from Google earth, shows the scale house where Joanne will spend her 8 pm to 8 am shift for a couple weeks during the harvest. Ken will be out working with the dumping process near the pilers.

Here is the City RV Park that has full hook-ups for visitors...really very nice! The RV's in the photo include ours and other friends who are working in the harvest. (By the way, our phones will be turned off during the morning hours when we sleep so please just leave a message or email.)

Here are a few more photos that will give you insight into this very nice small town USA! This is our neighbor to the north, a facility for seniors that includes assisted living.

Then across the street from them is this beautiful country home! Everyone's lawns are immaculate, and we haven't seen one derelict house.

Near the middle of town and along the railroad tracks are grain elevators and city park gazebo. I noticed in the news paper that the girl scouts have cared for flower beds in the local cemetery this summer.

There are two churchs in town...a Catholic and a Protestant. We met some very kind people Sunday at the Lutheran Church including a lady whose husband had been on the national wheat grower's board.

If one is a golfer, this is the town for you! It doesn't appear that a tee time is an issue and it certainly is a picturesque course. Stephen also has its own post office, a school, a swimming pool, a nice little grocery store, and a hardware store. We are impressed!