The Sugar Beet Fields

MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds · May 8, 2026 · 1m

In the late 19th century, Minnesota farmers began planting sugar beets, a domestic alternative to cane sugar. That new crop brought families of migrant workers to the state, and those families established some of Minnesota’s earliest Latino neighborhoods. Here’s Britt Aamodt.

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Editor: Britt Aamodt

Producer: Britt Aamodt

Editorial support: Emily Krumberger

Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

Image: Sugar beet worker near Fisher, Minnesota, 1937 [credit: Photographer: Russell Lee. Minnesota Historical Society Collections].

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