Ron Estes was visiting friends in Bemidji, Minn., eleven years ago when he first heard about the sugar beet harvest in the Red River Valley.
“One of my friends was driving a sugar beet truck for Paul Rutherford in Euclid, Minn., and asked if I also wanted to drive for the harvest,” Estes said. “That’s how I got into it. Before that, I never knew sugar beets from sugarcane.”
Estes enjoyed the experience so much that he kept coming back, and this fall marks 12 years of harvesting sugar beets with Rutherford and his family.
“I look forward to it all year,” said Estes, a pastor and retired Marine from Greenville, North Carolina.
Although Estes had never driven a truck for a harvest prior to meeting Rutherford, he had driven many types of vehicles in the military.
“I was a Marine pilot and spent 21 years doing air search and rescues in helicopters,” Estes said. “I did about everything including air, water, and underwater cave and mountain rescues.”
Estes also participated in Operation Frequent Wind, the United State’s largest helicopter evacuation operation, conducted in April of 1975 as North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon. The goal of the operation, which included the use of CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters and the USS Midway, was to evacuate American citizens, embassy staff, and South Vietnamese allies before the fall of Saigon. The evacuation ultimately succeeded in rescuing as many people as possible from the impending communist takeover. Estes’ work in the military also took him to Panama, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Grenada, where he helped evacuate American students during Operation Urgent Fury in 1983.
After his retirement from the Marine Corps, Estes felt called to ministry. He currently serves as pastor at Breath of God International Outreach in Greenville, a vocation that frequently takes him to rural communities throughout Africa.
“Our mission work includes providing support to churches overseas. We assist pastors by preparing them with the knowledge and logistics they need to successfully move to and minister in other countries,” he said. “We have assisted pastors and churches in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Chad, South Africa, Swaziland, and Congo.”
Estes looks for opportunities to share his faith wherever he goes, and the Red River Valley sugar beet harvest is no exception.
“Everyone is walking through something and everyone is a survivor,” he said. “That’s why I bring extra food with me when I’m driving because I like to share snacks, water, prayers, and the encouraging love of Jesus with the folks I meet. There are so many people trusting in God to bring out the harvest—it’s all in His hands.”
While trying new things and taking on new challenges often requires a leap of faith, it is well worth it, according to Estes.
“Driving a sugar beet truck is much different than regular driving on the road,” he said. “There are all types of weather and sometimes muddy conditions, and the challenge of taking a fully loaded truck through open traffic.”
Estes’ advice to prospective truck drivers is to constantly watch, actively listen, and not be afraid to ask questions.
“Asking questions does not show weakness. It keeps you safe. If you don’t listen and be vigilant at all times, then you won’t know what to do in an emergency,” he said. “We are running 12-hour shifts during the sugar beet harvest, so it is also important to have the integrity to know your limits and take care of yourself. If you’re tired and need help, let someone know.”
Both Estes and sugar beet farmer Paul Rutherford urge anyone interested to pursue the beet truck driving opportunities which can be found on social media, Craigslist, and grower association websites.
“This fall marks my 46th year of growing sugar beets and I’ve had drivers from all walks of life. These drivers are the backbone of the harvest,” said Rutherford, who farms with his wife Wanda and son Ryan. “There is a very specific time frame of about two weeks for the harvest if Mother Nature cooperates. We are not big farmers, but it takes a crew of 10 to 12 people just to get the beet crop harvested. If it weren’t for the people who take time off from their jobs to drive truck, farmers would not be able to get it done on time or at all.”
Rutherford and other sugar beet growers provide on-site training to prospective truck drivers.
“Call these ads, talk to the growers, and bring someone with you so they can also see and try it. When folks come out to our farm, we show them the trucks, and I take them for a ride. We run tractor-trailers, which weigh 80,000 pounds when fully loaded, so I teach them to take wide turns and slow down early for intersections and corners,” he said. “Unloading the truck at the piling site requires driving up a low rise onto a narrow ramp. They need to roll the window down and look at the front fender to see where they are going, because the ramp is only about 11.5 feet wide. It is a little intimidating at first, but then not so bad when people get the hang of it. We’ve also had some people who try it and then decide beet truck driving is not for them and that’s okay.”
While Estes preaches the gospel, Rutherford and his fellow farmers preach safety in the field, on the road, and at the piling sites.
“This is a marathon, not a sprint, and we do not want any injuries or accidents. The farmers work together to ensure safety and keep an eye out for each other and the drivers,” said Rutherford. “The American sugar industry is made up of a relatively small group of people and runs on relationships. We’re a family and people like Ron who come work with us become dear lifelong friends and members of the family.”
The harvest atmosphere brings shared faith and a common goal, and special moments such as pizza parties in the field. For the past several years, Estes’ friend from church in North Carolina has joined him in driving for the sugar beet harvest.
“Mike is a trucker by occupation and used to drive a garbage truck in Long Island, New York,” Estes said. “He loves driving beet truck.”
Estes loves the community spirit of harvest in the Red River Valley and is excited to return this fall for a truck driving job that has become a beloved tradition.
“I can’t wait to get up there and see my friends,” he said. “Beet truck driving is so much more than just a job. It is tremendously satisfying and being part of the harvest is an honor.”
Estes also plans to someday bring his wife Brenda along for the sugar beet harvest. The couple has four children, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandson.
“We’ve been married for 41 years, and she still takes my breath away,” he said.
Get Social with #MoreToSugar