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Dave Hergert, owner of the $2 million operation, said Thursday that the crop is looking good and the converted harvesting equipment is dong a good job. Chicory, which belongs to the dandelion family, resembles sugar beets and can be harvested with adjusted beet equipment.

Test plots at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center north of Scottsbluff were harvested earlier this week to check field equipment and the washer at the plant Hergert said. Total startup will begin after controls arrive for the dryer burners in the plant, which should be today. There are being converted from fuel oil to natural gas.

"The credit for this project goes to the people at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center." Hergert said. "They have been working with chicory for several years. Theyre the ones who approached me about working in conjunction with Nestle to make this happen.

"I decided to do it because I think it is a great crop for Nebraska and the Panhandle and our agriculture producers. With other commodity prices so low, I thought we need a different crop with better income potential to encourage young people to get into agriculture. Chicory seemed to be a good alternative."

Hergert said producers will received $55 a tone for chicory under the current contract. They can expect to harvest 18 to 24 tons per acre. The crop in free of diseases experienced by sugar beets, and research continues on pesticides and herbicides for new Panhandle crop.

Although the transition from sugar beet to chicory is very easy with equipment on hand, Hergert said he doesnt see them as being in competition with each other.

"Chicory is a complementary crop, not in competition with sugar beets," he said.

When it gets fired up, the plant will have 10 employees, working five per 12-hour shift, 24 hours per day, seven days a week. The chicory will be weighed, washed, sliced and dried before it is transported to a dog food facility.

Another chicory product is inulin, which is extracted for use as a low calorie sweetener, and Hergert has future plans for it, as well.

"This is kind of like a sugar factory," Hergert said pointing to the different areas, "Right now we have the beet end, where the chicory is washed and sliced. The pulp end is where the dried chicory is, and eventually, well have the sugar end, where well have the inulin processing."

"We not only have good workers," he said, "but we got ones who were going to be in school for a while, that could come back."

Tollefson says even though some of the students have moved on, they've been able to hire others through the network they have with students already working there. New people are referred to them by students already working there. "It's been a good experience for us," he said about hiring UMC students. "We've been able to get some guys, and gals, interested in working, good workers who show up for their shift. It's just been a great asset for our operation."

For Poppel, too, working the beet harvest has been a positive experience. "This is something I really like about Crookston," he said. "Where else can you go to school and get a chance to use your skills at the same time?"

According to Poppel, as much as he enjoys the beet harvest, he's also ready to see this year's work completed.

"We're all working for a common goal," he said. "I enjoy farming so much, but when it gets down to the end I just want to get everything finished."

Poppel said he normally only catches what sleep he can during the harvest, a little in the morning, more between classes.

"I'm here to go to school," he said, "so it'll be nice to have more time for studies once this is done... But this is education, too, and there's just something about the beet harvest. There's just something about having the power to pick these things up out of the ground."