Extra Gang

Work description

Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative has a peakload need for 12 temporary, full-time Extra Gang from November 24, 2026 to May 31, 2027 in Wahpeton, ND. Please note that our true period of need begins October 1, however, we were unable to submit our application on time due to delayed negotiations with the Union for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The delay in ratifying a new CBA caused the delay in obtaining our prevailing wage determination. We are requesting the first possible start date within our historically established period of need now that we have the PWD. Our Business Operations Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative is owned by approximately 500 sugar beet Shareholders and Growers who collectively cultivate 115,000 acres of sugar beets and is part of the domestic sweetener industry. With an approximate 1,200-acre footprint in the heart of the Red River Valley, sugar beet crops grown and harvested by Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative are processed at our sugar beet factory in Wahpeton. Factory workers process the sugar beets into sugar products, and then the sugar products are packaged and shipped to customers. Our temporary need and request for 12 Extra Gang from November 24 to May 31 is based on a peakload need. The Nature of Our Peakload Need We operate year-round and regularly employ permanent staff who perform the same duties of Extra Gang. We need to supplement our permanent Extra Gang staff at the place of employment on a temporary basis due to a seasonal demand. The seasonal demand (peakload surge) is caused by the predictable sugar beet main harvest and intense post-harvest processing season that occurs every year from the beginning of October through the end of May. The predictable and recurring sugar beet main harvest followed by intense processing is what causes the seasonal demand for Extra Gang services that leads to our peakload need. Our factory operations are dictated entirely by the natural growth cycle of the sugar beet and weather patterns of the Upper Midwest. Sugar beets cannot be stored indefinitely or grown year-round. The sugar beet harvest creates a seasonal demand because sugar beets are highly perishable root crops that must be pulled from the ground, stored, and processed within a specific weather window. Sugar beets must be harvested by the end of October because hard winter freezes will damage the crop in the ground. Following the intense local harvest in October, the millions of tons of raw beets must be processed continuously before summer temperatures trigger spoilage. The sugar beet harvest begins annually with the pre-pile harvest, followed by the full-scale main harvest. The pre-pile harvest begins in mid to late August with limited and controlled harvest deliveries. This limited harvest allows shareholders to open roadways through fields in preparation for the main harvest. The main harvest (stockpile) begins the first week of October when cooler weather allows the bulk of the beets to be safely dug and stored in large piles for winter processing. Our need for temporary Extra Gang is strictly limited to the peak window of the main harvest campaign. We do not require supplemental workers during the early pre-pile harvest. Because the pre-pile harvest only accounts for roughly 15% of the total crop to supply initial factory runs, our permanent, year-round Extra Gang are sufficient to handle the labor demand associated with the early pre-pile harvest. The Sugar Beet Campaign and Peak Demands The period from the start of the sugar beet main harvest to the last sugar beet being processed and packaged is called the sugar beet campaign. The campaign starts at the beginning of October and continues until the available supply of harvested sugar beets to process has been depleted, at the end of May of the following year. Extra Gang perform a variety of duties to assist in maintaining the cleanliness of the factory. Our factory operates 24/7 at maximum processing an

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Last updated: October 7, 2026