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10 CapitalPress.com March 10, 2017 Sweet potatoes run in grower’s family By JULIA HOLLISTER For the Capital Press Matt Alvernaz knows sweet potatoes, which he calls “na- ture’s superfood.” “I am a fourth-generation sweet potato farmer,” he said. “My grandfather was ‘Sweet Potato Joe Alvernaz,’ one of the pioneers in the California sweet potato industry.” Growing up, Alvernaz spent his summer days weed- ing sweet potato fields on the farm his parents and grandpar- BUYING or SELLING Seed or Row Crop Property? Your best pick is FarmSeller.com ents owned near Livingston, a town in Merced County. “Then the weekends I would spend working on my grandparents’ dairy,” he said. In high school he was in- volved in FFA, showing dairy cattle. Alvernaz judged dairy at Modesto Junior College and at Cornell University in Itha- ca, N.Y., where he received a bachelor of science degree. He is now the farm manag- er of his parents’ sweet potato operation in addition to farm- ing his own 300 acres. His wife, Sarah, is the sales and general manager of a grow- er-owned company, the Cali- fornia Sweet Potato Growers shipper-packer. The company packs and ships 300,000 cartons of sweet potatoes and yams each year. Sweet potatoes are diffi- cult and expensive to raise. They require sandy soil and warm, dry weather and clean water, he said. “They are very labor-intensive and require a large capital investment year after year.” Each acre demands be- tween 100 and 120 man-hours, and that does not include pack- Courtesy of Jill Hough Matt Alvernaz, a sweet potato grower in Merced County, Calif., says about 22,000 acres are planted to sweet potatoes in the state each year. ing labor, he said. Each year, about 20,000 to 22,000 acres are planted to sweet potatoes in California. Ninety-five percent are grown in Merced and Stanislaus counties. Several varieties of sweet potatoes are available but four main color categories are grown in California: Jewel (or- ange skin and flesh), Red (red skin and orange flesh), Sweets (yellow skin and flesh) and Oriental (purple skin and white flesh). The main pest concerns are nematodes, army worms, wire worms, rodents, gophers and squirrels, he said. Alvernaz said several looming challenges face Cal- ifornia sweet potato growers. “Water and labor are our main concerns,” he said. “Without clean surface water the roots will not produce nor store the way we need them to.” Salinity in ground water is another concern and there- fore not the favored irrigation source, he said. Competition originates across the continental U.S. “The Southern growing re- gions in the United States can be the biggest competition for fresh retail, as they are able to produce sweet potatoes at a fraction of the cost of Cal- ifornia,” he said. “Fortunately our soil, water and climate provide us with quality roots to maintain our market share.” The best news coming from the fields is the health benefits of the colorful globes, he said. LEE’S DIESEL & MOBILE REPAIR Rickreall, OR • 866-390-9146 Over 1,080 rural property listings from rural property professionals. Pierce Pivot & Linear Irrigation Systems • Acreage • Hobby Farms • Orchards & Vineyards • Berries • Ranch Properties • Crops • Large & Small Acreage • Dairies • Livestock • Rural Residential • Farm Properties • Nursery/Greenhouse • Timber • Recreational / Resort High Quality Parts & Service - Valley, Reinke & Zimmatic Linear, Corners, Pivots Underground Guidance is our Specialty Submersible, Line-Shaft Turbine & Diesel Pumps, Variable Speed Drives for Pumps & Motors, Trenching for PVC Mainline, Drainage & Electric, Direct Bury Power Cable Sales & Installation PVC Mainline Pipe & Fittings (all types), Generator Sets, Deutz & Isuzu Diesel Engines & Parts, Diesel Power conversions for Turbine Pumps Buyers can search by type, price, location, acreage, bedrooms, baths, crops, livestock, water, irrigation and more. BROKERS: for more information contact your Capital Press sales rep today or call 800-882-6789. Cell/Text 541-936-9146 farmseller@capitalpress.com S17-1/#13 www.leesdiesel.com S17-4/#7