Top 10 sugarbeet safety reminders for this harvest season

Sugarbeet harvest — no matter how much you look forward to it — can be an especially hectic time, with equipment going this way and that, trucks zooming to unload, long days and nights of work, and bigger crews than typically are on farms.

"You've got a lot of moving pieces," said Angie Johnson, North Dakota State University Extension farm and ranch safety coordinator.

Here are some simple reminders to keep yourself, your crew and your family safe this harvest season:

1. Get everyone trained. The workforce needs of sugarbeet harvest are immense . Johnson said making sure everyone is trained properly, familiar with equipment and prepared for safety hazards can keep problems from occurring. Beyond training, she said it's important to also have some basic things in place, like knowing each worker's emergency contact information.
2. Get enough sleep. Sleep is an important aspect on all farms and ranches to make sure workers can stay engaged in their duties. Johnson said that becomes even more important during sugarbeet harvest, when unusually long days are the norm and crews run at all hours of the day. "If you are getting tired, you need to have that conversation and let your boss know," she said, noting that's important even if you are the boss. "That's when mistakes happen. That's when we get really complacent."
3. Be aware of the size and power of equipment. "Everything has just tripled in size," Johnson said. But while sugarbeet harvest equipment has gotten bigger and taller, things like power lines haven't changed. It's important to be aware of the location of lines, power poles and other obstacles. Especially when raising equipment, make sure to be far clear of any power lines.
4. Keep or clean mud off the pavement. Wet conditions and the mud that comes with them are common in the fall, and that means beet equipment can drag mud onto roadways, creating a slippery situation for everyone. In some places, operators are responsible for cleaning that mud off the pavement and can face fines for not cleaning up after themselves, Johnson said. Putting up signs warning people about mud on the road also can be helpful, she said. In Wyoming, the state Department of Transportation asked that citizens call the agency's offices so that snow plows can be dispatched to remove mud from the highway .
5. Wear high visibility clothing. Johnson said there's a reason many people involved in sugarbeet harvest wear fluorescent clothing — it's so they stand out when they're out of equipment. That's also important if you have to manually remove slippery mud from the roads, she said.
6. Don't overload trucks. An overloaded truck could mean beets falling from the trailer — and a falling beet could break a windshield and even cause fatalities.
7. Keep equipment clean and perform preventive maintenance. Doing a regular walk-around to clean windows and mirrors from mud or dirt can help maintain visibility. And doing other preventive maintenance, like lubrication, checking bearings and making sure everything is working properly, can help prevent problems.
8. Keep the needs of your employees in mind. The largest demographic for tractor incidents is those 60 and older, Johnson said. "Whether we like it or not, we're all aging. When we age, we slow down," she said. An older workforce is not uncommon on farms, but Johnson said it's important to make sure you know the needs and limitations of all employees — regardless of age. If someone's reaction time is slowing, there are some jobs that may no longer be safe. Likewise, be aware of medications — like blood thinners — that could be dangerous in the event of an incident, and aware of health problems, like diabetes, that can require special precautions.
9. Practice basic road safety when driving. Johnson said being safe on the road includes making sure you're taking wide enough turns and keeping tires from entering ditches, which could cause vehicles to get off-balanced and roll or tip.
10. Be cautious with young riders. Sugarbeet farming tends to be a family affair, and the memories of beet harvest can be a special thing to look back on. But Johnson said it's important to make sure children riding in trucks or other equipment are safe. If riding in a truck, kids need to be restrained, just as they would be in a car. "The same rules apply," she said. That means a child who needs to be in a car seat needs to be in a car seat in a truck. If the driver gets out of a truck, the truck needs to be turned off so that the impulse to press buttons doesn't lead to tragedy, she said. And when it comes to tractors, Johnson has a hard, fast rule: "If you're in that tractor and there is no secondary seat, the rule of thumb really needs to be no seat, no rider."

Share News reporting News reportingBased on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags By Jenny Schlecht Jenny Schlecht is the director of ag content for Agweek and serves as editor of Agweek, Sugarbeet Grower and BeanGrower. She lives on a farm and ranch near Medina, North Dakota, with her husband and two daughters. You can reach her at or 701-595-0425. Conversation What To Read Next Get Local