This occurred at our school too. I think it was the junior high levels (our jr and sr high was in one building - small school). They would pick you up very early, in a school bus, and drive you to the fields. They paid us super low wages (ag can pay below federal minimum wage I believe - maybe if you are under 18?). I think the first summer I made $1.15/hr and the next summer I got a 10 cent raise. You know I was Scrooge McDuck rolling in all that money! Thanks Pioneer Seed Co.
We did this for the corn fields as well. Nothing like roguing the corn field. Blech.
The worst ag job I ever had was working at the egg ranch to move the “old” hens into the rolling cages and onto the semi so they could be turned into soup. The scene in Napoleon Dynamite undersells how disgusting that job was. Those of us on the lower level (two-level barn) were constantly rained upon by the shit of thousands of excited hens above us. Horrible job and I cannot stress how horrible.