18 CapitalPress.com
March 13, 2015
Potatoes are the stars at this farm
By LACEY JARRELL
For the Capital Press
Gemstar potatoes are
the star of the show for one
Southern Oregon farm.
According to Rob Unruh,
owner of Robert L. Unruh
Farms in Malin, Ore., gem-
star russets are good in taste,
quality and appearance.
“The gemstar is an abso-
lutely gorgeous russet pota-
to,” Unruh said.
A past industry leader,
the russet Burbank, is one
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S15-5/#13
of the most versatile and
tasty potatoes, but it isn’t
pretty on the store shelf,
according to Unruh. He
said gemstars compete well
with Burbanks in every
category.
Uhruh’s wife, Cheri, said
gemstars are currently her
favorite: She can bake them,
mash them, make rolls with
them, and gemstars even fry
well.
“I can do anything with
them,” Cheri said.
In Malin, 150 acres of
Unruh’s 700-acre farm are
dedicated to potatoes. In
2014, about 100 acres were
dedicated to gemstars.
Much of the land Unruh
farms has been in his family
for generations.
“We’re still raising spuds
on a piece of ground my
grandfather farmed in the
1940s. For some reason, it
still raises an excellent po-
tato,” Unruh said.
Unruh said his operation
the “ultimate family farm.”
“The farm basically con-
sists of my wife, my son and
myself,” he said.
“We raised two kids on
the farm. It’s a great live-
lihood, a great way to raise
kids.”
Their son, Jonathan, and
Cheri’s father both still help
out from time to time.
According to Unruh,
who has farmed pota-
toes since he was 13 years
old, the spud market has
changed drastically over the
years.
“I love growing them,
but it’s not really smart
business. It’s kind of like a
gambling addiction — the
next hand’s going to be the
big winner,” he said.
Unruh said 2015 will be
his 42nd year raising pota-
toes. In the early years, he
made a really good living,
but between the years-long
drought plaguing Southern
Oregon and sluggish mar-
kets, it’s been more diffi-
cult.
Lacey Jarrell/For the Capital Press
To Rob Unruh, growing potatoes — especially these gemstar
russets — are like an addiction. He said potatoes are a crop that
“gets in your blood.”
“It’s become a tough
business,” Unruh said. “The
money hasn’t been in it, es-
pecially for the small family
farm.”
Uhruh attributes some
of the industry’s struggles
to recent diet fads that dis-
courage eating potatoes.
“Potatoes have gotten a
bad reputation,” Unruh said.
“A potato is a great food —
it’s close to a perfect food;
it’s just gotten a really bad
rep.”
In addition to gemstars,
the Unruhs grow experi-
mental red and Sierra Gold
potatoes. The family is also
considering trying its hand
at organics.
“If you’re going to stay
in the business, I think
you’ve got to be diversified
in potatoes,” Unruh said.
The family is always in
the market for something
that’s cheaper to grow and
successful on the shelf, he
added.
Placing a potato wedge
in the ground and nurtur-
ing it through a 120-day
growing season to maturity
is a fascinating process, ac-
cording to Unruh. To him,
there’s nothing quite like a
baby potato fresh from the
field.
“Little baby potatoes are
one of the best things in the
world,” he said.