Friday, March 5, 2021
CapitalPress.com
7
This farm grows potatoes of every color
By HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
For the Capital Press
Michael Steinmann is the
third generation of his family
to farm near Ashton, Idaho,
growing a variety of seed
potatoes.
His grandfather — from
Germany —
started the
farm in 1918.
“My dad
took
over
when farm-
ers
were
shifting from
Michael
horses
to
Steinmann
tractors.
I
grew up on
the farm, went to college, and
was working elsewhere, then
in 1990 came back to the farm
and we expanded,” he said.
His grandfather and father
raised seed potatoes.
“I wanted to do a little dif-
ferent twist. My neighbor in
Logan, Utah, had a whole-
sale garden seed business and
when he heard I was mov-
ing back to the potato farm
he asked if I could grow red
potatoes for seed. So when
my wife and I came back we
started raising varieties of red
potatoes to sell seed to him,”
Michael said.
“We now farm about 1,000
acres, with 440 acres in seed
Michael Steinmann grows many colors of potatoes for
farm.
potatoes,” he said. “This year
it’s 14 different varieties: red,
yellow, brown, white, purple,
blue — all different colors.”
The seed business has
expanded every year with new
customers. A distributor in the
Portland area now handles his
customers from Oregon and
Washington.
“Our business grew to
where it was difficult for me
to deliver to every mom-and-
pop outfit; we ran a semi and
it would take 3 or 4 days for
my driver to make that trip for
all the deliveries,” he explains.
His seeds are also sold
in Utah and all of Idaho. He
delivers to D&B Warehouse
in Caldwell and they distrib-
ute to all their stores in south-
ern Idaho. I do the same with
Intermountain Farmers, deliv-
ering to their warehouse in
Salt Lake and they distribute
to their stores in Nevada, New
Mexico as well as Utah. We
sell to Cal Ranch and Valley
Wide, as well as a few mom-
and-pop places in Idaho and
Utah,” Michael said.
On the farm he has depend-
able help, and his youngest
son, Rob, is involved in the
operation. Rob has a young
family and will probably
take over the farm someday.
The whole family — daugh-
ters, daughter-in-law — helps
year from Mexico. They’ve
been with me more than 20
years,” he said. “The old-
est brother is now bringing
his oldest son. They are like
family to us and we could
not operate our farm without
them.”
Garden seed is just one part
of the business.
“We still raise seed pota-
toes and some of the varieties
go to large commercial potato
growers. My largest customer
company is Magic Valley
Growers, in Wendell, Idaho.
Steinmann Farms We grow a specific variety
seed on his Ashton, Idaho for them; they have a spe-
cial niche market for those,”
Michael said.
on the farm. Granddaughters
He also sells seed potatoes
drive truck and a grandson to large farms such as Simplot.
runs the side-digger, and other
“We grow special vari-
family members help during eties for them as well,” he
said. “We ship some seed
harvest.
“We have three guys potatoes into California
(brothers) who come every — a special variety for the
Bakersfield area.”
Other crops are rotated
with the potatoes includ-
ing wheat, barley and alfalfa.
He also leases ground from
neighbors who are not potato
growers, to not have to worry
about variety mix-ups.
“We keep track on our own
ground, and plant back the
same variety we had 2 or 3
years ago in that field; then if
there are any volunteer plants
it would at least be the same
variety,” he explained.
Very few people in his area
are raising reds and other col-
ors, and he is the only one
raising garden seed — which
is put into 50-pound bags and
delivered to garden centers.
With seed certification,
there are many hoops to jump
through. It’s a unique busi-
ness, with unique needs, but
very satisfying for this potato
farmer.
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