[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] sugar beet connections

[Jerry Frank]

I don't know if there is a direct correlation between working in sugar 
beets in Russia and North America.  A scan of the Internet suggests that 
Russia is the largest sugar beet producer in the world and that it is a 
major crop in the Ukraine.  One article about Ukraine is sub-titled, 
"Breadbasket and Sugar Bowl".  We know for certain that the region south of 
Gostynin in Russian Poland was a sugar producing area yet I know of no such 
production on the German farms in Volhynia.  One site indicates that it was 
a German chemist who developed the process for extracting sugar from beets 
in the 1700s so that indicates at least a minor German connection to the 
industry.

The sugar beet industry in Canada also attracted a lot of German workers 
and later farmers in southern Manitoba (Altona / Gretna regions) and 
southern Alberta (around Taber) where there is a large sugar beet 
processing plant.

The map at http://www.webbitt.com/volga/usa-map.html doesn't show the sugar 
beets of Canada but it does show the relationship between Volga German 
settlements and the production of beets and wheat.  Although this map does 
not include all the Germans from Russia (there were many for example in the 
beet producing areas of North Dakota), it does suggest to me that the 
connection is simply coincidence relative to crops particular suited to 
certain areas rather Russian Germans moving to follow that crop industry.


At 03:39 PM 21/10/2004, Royal Natzke wrote:
>Hello:
>
>I am Dorothy Natzke's husband, Royal, and I have my own question. At a recent
>meeting of our Germans from Russia group we were sharing where our ancestors
>came from and where they settled in North America. I was amazed at how many
>times individuals mentioned that their people were employed in the sugar beet
>fields in NB., CO, KS, ND. During WWII we raised sugar beets on our farm in
>Brown Co, WI. I recently viewed the excellent video on sugar beets produced by
>the people in Scotts Bluff, NB.
>
>My question: did the Germans from Russia/Volhynia raise sugar beets in the old
>country, or did they just pick that up as entrance level employment when they
>came here? I don't recall if we saw sugar beet fields when we were in western
>Volhynia in '01. We did see them in western Pomerania in Kreis Greifenberg
>(Trieglaf - where my people came from).
>
>Were sugar beet companies recruiting workers through a Germans from Russia
>network that went all the way back to Europe? or just here in the US and
>Canada? or was it just by word of mouth?
>
>Any help would be appreciated.
>
>Royal

Jerry Frank - Calgary, Alberta
FranklySpeaking at shaw.ca