As part of an Insight series, MPR’s John Ydstie produces a sound portrait titled “Migrant Series, Part 1.” Ydstie follows the daily life of Guillermo Flores, a migrant worker in the sugar beet fields of rural Minnesota.
Read the Text Transcription of the Audio.
My name is Guillermo Flores. I come from Crystal City, Texas and I'm here in Windom Minnesota working with double v Grover and not sugar bits feels. Guillermo Flores is 40 years old. He began working in the sugar beet Fields when he was 10 years old in the summer of 1947. Then he came to the Red River Valley with his father and mother from Texas a trip of almost 1,500 miles. The trip hasn't ended and the miles now number almost 100,000. In the early days, he was given a short handled. Followed his mother down the endless Rose taking out the weeds that she'd missed now 30 years later his five children follow him. Fergie Amo and his family this summer is a tenacious search for that final rule. The search is more profitable now than it used to be here. Most family of six workers can now make between four and $5,000 in six to eight weeks. But why does he continue this difficult occupation? And what goes through Guillermo his mind as it continues his search row after row day after day field after field. Well, I think about going to back to Texas but have some money. No, that's one thing that I think when I'm in the field I say well hope everything goes right because I want to make one as long as I say, I hope we get a good rain. So the girls can make money I can make money. So that's what I say when I'm going to feel the same. But since I say, I hope we can rest a couple days or 3 or 4 days rest, but sometimes I say hope it rains because not going to get done. this time Play some women have a nice day. See you in a couple days. But sometimes you don't get pretty hot days and I can drive you nuts to you discard, you know, but I got to work in 20 25 days straight. Then you can lay off work couple weeks. Then you feel better, you know because you know and my family we were 7 so if we don't work, Casinos card for 7 unit 7 in the family by closing and choose and everything now and when it's wet like for right now, we know by the time you get down you going to have another pair of shoes. I think that's a guy that knows how to do is what you got to do it if you want to make some money, you know, otherwise, he's a little and it feels somebody got to do it but I say it like that come here from Texas come here because I like to stay and I think I'm used to doing the sugar beet job, I guess because I like to travel to Reno because I said like that when I'm Crystal City I get tires on there then, come here to Glen Minnesota and come here and feel pretty good. You know, then by the time I go back to Texas, I'm feel tired from here and I feel go down there. Just keep me. Balance field morphine. Like I said hear what I'm saying right now is this crore? It feels like you just my second home these people here at work. We know we know I know them and they know me how I work and now I think we get along pretty good. Turn the short morning in the fields today last night. It rained. So this morning the Flores family started work at 10 instead of 7, but even though they waited their shoes and hoes are now covered with sticky black Gumball both ice cream to the mud and now it's time for the only break of the day the noon meal for this the family will leave the fields and drive the short distance to their house a mobile home near The Grove of trees that surrounds their employers farmstead. Inside the house, you can smell something cooking and the family sits down around a large table for a meal of tacos and Frijoles. Back in the field after lunch. The sun is burned away the clouds and ride the soil. The morning coolness is gone as well. We don't work in closed group. Sometimes I get out. I'll go ahead and sometimes I'll be behind so we will we not all together. So sometimes just when we meet we say how's things going or are you tired? How I feel or is he still can handle for another 45 rounds? So we can we talk to sometimes when we with me it's you know, but we won't be like working by the hour, you know slow then say we got to keep going, you know, because of that the harder you work this winter you get done and that beats the one thing that. If you want to work slow. And I'm kind of us lay around and say well then it's going to get big then everything then it's going to be harder to know. My name is Gracie photos and I'm a daughter of mr. Flores and I'm 18 and then I live in Crystal City, Texas and with we were here with mr. Grover. Kristy Flores is the oldest ever parents children at 4 feet 11 inches and 100 pounds. She looks like the youngest she wears a big blue shirt that Dell owes in the Prairie Wind and a large hat to protect your face from the sun because you small she occasionally falls behind the others as they work. Since I was little I told my dad that I like I like it here. I would like to live here. But like I said only that you can tell you what's going on over there in Texas. It gets real hard to work and nothing's you know, there's not that many jobs like where we live at. Let's just to feel work and then like my dad says labor in the Demonic can factory almost everybody comes over here and this beats all my friends and I think it would be the lights to Coffee. I guess I enjoy like my dad. I'm you know, I like to work. Sometimes I forget that I'm in the field, you know, I start thinking about school my friends and you should I write to my friends and it's about it. But then the next thing I know I'm there just working so easily singing or something, you know, just to forget that I'm there. They might die my dad start singing sometime. Moto E plus Do you get to nothing? Grand Theft Auto I do like it but you know like my dad he's sending us to school and I will let you know like to be somebody, you know still just working all my life and beat but then when I get married, maybe my husband now, I guess you'll probably be working as beef too, but I'm not really sure yet until the time comes like I started working with my dad around when I was Walt into I guess. And I liked it but I would like to be seen on be somebody else like, you know working an officer thing doesn't come and go to school cuz like my dad says it's a pretty hard job to do and I guess everybody knows that. I rather do something else but like I say it did I do for a long time and I had a easy job besides two repeats that I get put white Wages Funeral then I think I can wear to I got to do it I do it for sale. When is 3rd at 20 25 or 30 years already? So I think how to make potatoes not Guillermo Flores migrant worker That sound portrait was produced by John. It's the NPR station kccm in Moorhead with technical assistance from Rodger gomoll and Dennis Hamilton.
Transcripts
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GUILLERMO FLORES: My name is Guillermo Flores. I come from Crystal City, Texas, and I'm here in Glyndon, Minnesota, working with WV Grover in the sugar beets fields.
[HAMMER ON METAL]
SPEAKER 1: Guillermo Flores is 40 years old. He began working in the sugar beet fields when he was 10 years old in the summer of 1947. Then he came to the Red River Valley with his father and mother from Texas, a trip of almost 1,500 miles. The trip hasn't ended, and the miles now number almost 100,000.
In the early days, he was given a short-handled hoe, and he followed his mother down the endless rows, taking out the weeds that she'd missed. Now, 30 years later, his five children follow him.
For Guillermo and his family, the summer is a tenacious search for that final row. The search is more profitable now than it used to be. Guillermo's family of six workers can now make between $4,000 and $5,000 in six to eight weeks.
But why does he continue this difficult occupation, and what goes through Guillermo's mind as he continues his search row after row, day after day, field after field?
GUILLERMO FLORES: Well, I think about going back to Texas but have some money. That's one thing that I think when I'm in the fields. I say, well, I hope everything goes right because I want to make money. Sometimes I say, I hope we get a good rain so the growers can make money. I can make money.
So that's what I think when I'm in the field, I'd say. But sometimes, I hope it rain so we can rest a couple of days or three or four days rest. But sometimes I say I hope it don't rain because I'm going to get done.
This season, the beats have been having nice days, you know, cool days. But sometimes, you get pretty hot days and can drive you nuts to because you got to keep going even if you sweat. And it's hard, but you got to work, say, 20, 25 days straight.
Then you can lay it out for a couple of weeks. Then you feel better because the way my family, we were seven, so if we don't work, it's hard for seven, seven and family. You've got to buy clothing and shoes and everything.
Now, when it's wet like right now, by the time you get done, you got to have another pair of shoes.
[SINGING IN SPANISH]
I think that a guy I shouldn't do it, but you got to do it if you want to make some money. Otherwise, if you don't go in the fields, somebody's got to do it. But I say like I say, I come here from Texas. Come here because I like the state, and I think I'm used to doing the sugarbeet job.
I guess because I like to travel too because I get, I say, like when I'm in Crystal City, I get tired down there. Then I come here to here, Glyndon, Minnesota, and come here and feel pretty good.
Then, by the time I go back to Texas, I feel tired from here, and I feel good down there. Just keep me balanced. I feel more free, like I say, here where I'm staying right now with this grower. It feels like just my second home. These people here where I work, we know-- I know them, and they know me, how I work, and I think we get along pretty good.
[HAMMERING]
[CONVERSATIONS IN SPANISH]
SPEAKER 1: It's been a short morning in the fields today. Last night, it rained, so this morning the Flores family started work at 10:00 instead of 7:00. But even though they waited, their shoes and hoes are now covered with sticky black gumbo. Both are scraped of the mud, and now it's time for the only break of the day, the noon meal.
For this, the family will leave the fields and drive the short distance to their house, a mobile home near the grove of trees that surrounds their employer's farmstead.
[SPANISH MUSIC]
Inside the house, you can smell something cooking, and the family sits down around a large table for a meal of tacos and frijoles.
[SPANISH MUSIC]
[TRUCK ENGINE RUNNING]
Back in the field after lunch, the sun has burned away the clouds and dried the soil. The morning coolness is gone as well.
[INSECTS BUZZING]
GUILLERMO FLORES: We don't work in close group. Sometimes I get a cleaner row. I go ahead. And sometimes I've been behind, so we're not all together. So sometimes just when we meet, we say, how's things going or you're tired or how you feel or if you still can handle for another four or five rounds?
[HAMMERING]
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
So we talk just sometimes when we meet, but we won't be like working by the hour-- slow-- then say we got to keep going because the harder you work, the sooner you get done. And beets is one thing that if you're going to work slow and us lay around and say, well, then it's going to get big and everything-- then it's going to be harder.
[CONVERSATIONS IN SPANISH]
GRACIE FLORES: My name is Gracie Flores, and I'm a daughter of Mr Flores. And I'm 18, and then I live in Crystal City, Texas, and we work here with Mr Grover.
[HAMMERING]
[CONVERSATIONS IN SPANISH]
SPEAKER 1: Gracie Flores is the oldest of her parents children. At 4 feet 11 inches and 100 pounds, she looks like the youngest. She wears a big blue shirt that billows in the prairie wind and a large hat to protect her face from the sun.
Because she's small, she occasionally falls behind the others as they work.
[HAMMERING]
GRACIE FLORES: Since I was little, I told my dad that I like it here. I would like to live here, but, like I said, only the future can tell you what's coming up. Over there in Texas it gets real hot to work, and nothing's-- there's not that many jobs where we live at. There's just the field work, and then like my dad says labor in the harmonic cam factory.
And then almost everybody comes over here and does beets. All my friends, and I think it would be the life to call freedom, I guess I enjoy it like my dad. I like to work.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
Sometimes, I forget that I'm in the field. I start thinking about school, my friends, and usually I write to my friends, and that's about it. But then the next thing I know, I'm there just working. Sometimes, I start whistling, singing or something, just to forget that I'm there. Then my dad starts singing sometimes.
[SINGING IN SPANISH]
I do like it, but my dad, he's sending us to school, and I will like to be somebody instead of just working all my life in beets. But then, when I get married, maybe my husband will, I guess he'll probably be working these beets too. But I'm not really sure yet until the time comes.
It's like I started working with my dad around when I was, well, 10 too, I guess. And I like it, but I would like to be somebody else, work in an office or anything. That's how come I'm going to school because like my dad says, it's a pretty hard job to do, and I guess everybody knows that.
[FOOTSTEPS IN THICK GRASS]
GUILLERMO FLORES: I'd rather do something else. But like I say, did try do for a long time. And if I had an easy job besides sugar beets that I get good wages, then I think I can rather do. I gotta do it-- I do it for, say, about 20, 25, or 30 years already. So I think it don't make no difference now.
SPEAKER 1: Guillermo Flores, a migrant worker.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER 2: That sound portrait was produced by John Ydstie at NPR station KCCM in Moorhead, with technical assistance from Roger Gammal and Dennis Hamilton.
[Music playing]