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Working with Beets- Galen Herdt

His grandfather, Dave Herdt, farmed in the Mitchell Valley area back in the 1930's. His father, Leo, raised them on his farm south of Torrington and today, Galen raises them on his farm near Veteran, Wyo.

After graduating from high school, Galen recalls he had three choices; college, Vietnam or farming. Farming sounded like the best option.

He began working for a farm and cattle company near Torrington and in 1977 started farming on his own east of town. In '78, he and his wife, Kathy, moved to Veteran.

During the mid to late '70's farming was good and finding farm ground was hard to come by.

"I had four people tell me they were going to move into the house we had," Kathy recalls.

"You had trouble finding a farm" back then, Galen said.

However, farming is what the Herdts "always wanted to do," Kathy said.

"I still enjoy it (farming)," Galen said, "but it's becoming more challenging."

"Agriculture is in a new era," he added. "It has become more stressful and more fast-paced with increased volumes and trying to keep the cash flow."

"Years ago it was nothing to go into November with harvest. Now we're looking at the 25th of October." Input costs have also climbed, but "we are still getting the same returns for the crop as we did 10-15 years ago."

"At the same time, we've had to become more efficient to survive."

"When I started farming, 100 bushel an acre corn was normal, today 160 to 200 bushel an acre corn is the goal," Galen said. Dry beans are seeing increases in yields and "I believe sugarbeets are going to see it (an increase in yields) in a few years . . . our day is coming with better yields in beets."

The question is "time".

"Do we have the time to wait?," he said. "Personally, I think we're running out of time. Something (in agriculture) is going to have to change fast."

However, "I think the beet industry is the most positive thing we have going right now."

The Herdts raise sugarbeets, corn and some alfalfa on their farm. They also have a small herd of cattle.

Out of those crops, sugarbeets are the "only bright spot," Kathy said as she packed for a trip to Washington D.C. representing Wyoming's W.I.F.E. (Women Involved in Farm Economics) organization.

Kathy is the W.I.F.E. sugar spokesperson for Wyoming, the area director and statewide president. For the last three years she has also been the national sugar spokesperson for the organization. Galen has also been involved on the board for the North Platte Valley Wyo-Braska Sugarbeet Growers Association.

"When I was elected to the board in 1984 we were growing beets for Holly Sugar Company and the name of the association was the Goshen County Beet Growers Association."

Since then, the company has been purchased by Imperial Sugar and the Association has gone through a name change and a merger.

With Imperial buying Holly, the "working relationship with the company has been good," Herdt said.

As the company expanded to include growers outside of Goshen County, the association changed its name to Platte Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association. Then, in 1995 the Platte Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association merged with the Wyo-Braska Beet Growers Association.

"The merger was a goal of mine," Herdt said. "I thought I'd get off the board after that, but I didn't."

As a board "I think we are more involved in the industry (as a whole) today, than when I first came on. We want to know (today) more of the infra-structure of the sales and more about the industry itself."

"We have had to educate ourselves on dealing with big business," Galen said. "Here we are trying to farm, do finances, and so much more. Going out and sitting in the tractor is the easy part."