The 2,800 beet growers who own the American Crystal Sugar cooperative will soon be relying on inexperienced replacement workers to turn their crops into cash.
Poor weather has delayed the harvest, so workers at the cooperative's five Red River Valley plants haven't started processing beets yet. The Moorhead company locked out about 1,300 union workers on Aug. 1 after their labor contract expired. The union had voted down American Crystal's contract offer.
About 950 replacement workers are on the job. Another 300 will join them once the harvest begins. The beet farmers' income will rely, in part, on the efficiency. The Star tribune is reporting that the company is estimating a yield of 20 tons per acre this year, down from an average 25 tons. Processing is expected to start early next.
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