Latin-American Migratory Labor and Its Contribution to the Development and Maintenance of the Sugar Beet Industry in the United States with Particular Reference to 1945

Excerpts: The tie between Latin-American migratory labor and the production and harvest of sugar beets. in the United States is believed to be unique in American agriculture. During the past two decades there has been developed a rather clear-cut pattern of migratory movement of Latin-American workers from the State of Texas to the North Central and Western Plains States for employment in the production and harvest of sugar beets and related crops. This movement was developed through the efforts of the sugar beet interests in cooperation with the workers. Through experience the sugar beet interests have developed a concrete procedure for recruitment, movement, and employment of Latin-American workers in the sugar beet fields. In the development of the sugar beet industry, the actual producers of sugar beets have depended upon sugar beet processors to supply outside labor needed for the production and harvest of sugar beets. This seems to have been more or less an outgrowth of contractual relationships between the sugar beet processors and the actual grower of sugar beets. Most of the recruiting of Latin-American workers is done by sugar beet processors and they in turn allot the workers to sugar beet growers. This has become a well established plan throughout the beet industry.