FOUR The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, October 12, 1978
Potatoes remain king of county's agriculture scene
160-acre tract now just
'small potatoes9
If it were located nearly
anywhere else in the world,
Paul Taylor's 160-acre North
Lexington operation would be
considered large.
But in Morrow County,
where spud is king of the
agricultural economy, Tay
lor's spread is just small
potatoes.
Depending on whose statis
tics you read. Morrow County
either ranks second, third or
fourth among the nation's top
potato producing counties. It
isv definitely number one in
Oregon. Yields in Morrow
average nearly twice the
tonnage per acre produced in
Idaho, which somehow enjoys
a national reputation for
outstanding potato produc
tion. Potato sales in Morrow
County last year totaled
iear)y $31 million, and could
do as well this year. With
Morrow County potato acre
age now totaling about 25,000,
spuds continue to outrate
wheat as the county's top cash
crop.
But in Morrow County, it is a
crop that is dominated by
corporate giants.
"As far as I know, I'm the
smallest grower in the coun
ty," saicT Taylor, during a
pause last week from harvest
ing his stand of Russets.
"Back in the Columbia Basin
Project where I used to live,
this would be a pretty good
sized operation."
But Taylor insists that he
doesn't really mind competing
with big-time agribusiness for
the potato dollar.
"If it weren't for the
corporations, we wouldn't
have the processing plants,"
said Taylor, noting that the
french fry processors and
potato flaking plants in Board
man and Hermiston provide a
broader and more stable
market for the area growers.
The processing operations in
the Port of Morrow at Board
man complex also give jobs to
some 700 workers.
The corporate farms were
also responsible for pioneer
ing irrigation development in
north Morrow, where almost
100 per cent of the county's
potatoes are grown.
When I came here in 1969,"
recalled Morrow County Ex
tention Agent Harold Kerr,
"there were only four circles
in operation. Now, there are
nearly 600." The first Morrow
potato crop of any signific
ance, Kerr noted, was pro
duced in 1970.
Since the birth of the
Morrow County potato indus
try in 1970, the semiarid north
Morrow landscape has chang
ed dramatically. The Simtag
company has devoted some
9,000 acres of former desert
land to potatoes, and boasts
that it is the nation's single
largest spud grower with the
world's largest potato ware
house, capable of storing 80,
000 tons.
Simtag operates 207 center
pivot irrigation lines, each
capable of sprinkling about
125 acres. Sabre farms boasts
127 circles, and Eastern Ore
gon Farming Co. is equipped
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The sandv
desert soil,
mated with adequate water
and a 200-day growing season,
makes north Morrow a virtual
Garden of Eden for potato
production.
But potatoes are also one of
the most unstable of all
agricultural commodities in
terms of price fluctuation.
"Potatoes have made a lot
of people, but they've broke
twice as many" said Taylor.
"Growing potatoes is a lot
like gambling," Taylor con
tinued, "It gets in your blood. .
especially if you hit a good
year and end up with more
money than you can spend.
It's a lot riskier than raising
wheat."
Taylor, with years of exper
ience in raising the tubers
behind his belt, feels that he
has at least as good and
probably better chance than
the corporate farms at contin
uing to profit from the
county's booming spud trade.
He raises his potatoes on a
four-year rotation program,
switching his spud ground
with wheat land, giving his
potato acreage a much longer
rest than other county grow
ers. "I don't know of anyone
who is doing more than one
year in rotation, and a lot of
the places raise potatoes
back-to-back," he said.
While the corporate farms
are able to arrange the
financing for new equipment,
new wells and new pivot
systems to increase potato
production, they have more
than their share of problems,
according to Taylor.
"Sometimes when I think
I'm having it rough, I'll go
over to one of the big
operations and see my prob
lems multiplied ten times,"
said Taylor. "I always feel
better after making one of
those trips."
"I think a lot of the big
operations will eventually
break down," Taylor said.
"They're just too hard to
manage. ..you can't run them
as efficient as you can an
individual operation. And I
don't care how good a man you
are, you just don't look after
things as well for someone
else as you do for yourself."
Taylor said he believes that
the amount of new potato
acreage added to Morrow
County will decline for the
next couple of years, until
prices swing significiantly
upward again.
There always will be a
future for potatoes in Morrow
County," the independent
grower stated, "but I think
there will be a change in terms
of who's growing them."
.is1"
S3
Out of the ground and into the truck go these potatoes on
the Paul Taylor ranch ( top photo ) . These late season Russets
averaged about 28 tons per acre, a good yield for a good
growing season. The Taylor spuds are bought exclusively for
use as french fries. Their selling price is based on quality,
grade and specific gravity. In bottom photo, truck leaves
massive potato plantation at Sabre Farms, one of many
corporate potato ventures in northern Morrow County.
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