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Capital Press January 30, 2015 The West’s A g CapitalPress.com Weekly A YEAR OF IDAHO INNOVATION INNOVATION Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press Farmer Randy Hardy stands in his shop in Oakley, Idaho. As president of the National Potato Council, Hardy has been involved in grower issues on the national level for the past 20 years. Potato grower champions industry interests Randy Hardy takes national stage on behalf of fellow growers By CAROL RYAN DUMAS Capital Press O AKLEY, Idaho — Running the family farm since the age of 19 after the unexpect- ed death of his father, Randy Hardy is no stranger to chal- lenge. He’s been farming for 42 years, growing the family farm in Oak- ley, Idaho, from 300 acres to near- ly 3,000 acres. And for the last 20 years, he’s championed the cause of potato growers at the national level, serving at the helm of grower orga- nizations to promote potatoes and protect the industry’s interests. After high school, Hardy went to college, but decided to marry his high school sweetheart and returned Western Innovator Randy Hardy Hometown: Oakley, Idaho Age: 61 Partners: Wife, Karlene, and son, Ben Children: 5 Grandchildren: 27 Acres: 2,800 Main crop: Potatoes Offi ces: President, National Potato Council; former chairman, U.S. Potato Board; chairman, Sun Valley Potatoes fresh potato co-op; board member, IdaGro dehydrated potato supply co-op Whiteley, and neighboring farmers, he said. It wasn’t easy, and he made a lot of mistakes the fi rst 10 years. But it made him better. He had to learn, and learn in a hurry, he said. Three hundred acres was big back then, and the whole valley was fl ood irrigated, demanding long hours and a lot of labor. But he held steady to the task and along the way, picked up more ground. He also became involved in na- tional potato grower organizations, following in the footsteps of his uncle, who was partially responsi- ble for getting the National Potato Council established and served as its chairman in 1955. INNOVATION a year later to farm with his father. But those plans changed overnight, when his father died two months af- ter Hardy’s return to the farm. Taking over the family farm in- volved a huge learning curve, he said. “I knew a lot of the farming, but I didn’t have a clue about fi nances and seed and fertilizer,” he said. But he set about providing for his mother and new wife, asking ques- tions of his uncle and mentor, W.B. Turn to HARDY, Page 3 INNOVATION INNOVATION INNOVATION IDIN15-5/#17 INNOVATION