Potato Grower

Story and photos by Tyrell Marchant Gray clouds veil a good chunk of the sky and a cool-but-not- cold fall breeze is moving across the high desert, but for now at least, the rain that has been threatening to fall for the last three days is holding off. And for the Telfords, that's a good thing. It's Oct. 2, and they're hoping to wrap up harvest this afternoon. "This is the earliest we've finished spud harvest in a long, long time," says Mike Telford, the family's patriarch. Telford has been growing potatoes for a long time, period. He moved to Idaho from Utah in the early 1970s and harvested his first potato crop in 1974. Today, he operates a highly diversified operation (including a stock herd of beef cattle) that stretches from near the banks of the Snake River on the south to Arco on the north with five of his sons—Mark, Aaron, Ryan, Bob and Jared. "In fact," Telford says, "I just have to boast about something: Earlier this fall, we harvested seven crops in nine locations on the same day. That was something we'd never done before, and I don't know if we'll ever do it again. We could do it thanks to lots of good help." He lets out a giddy, triumphant laugh, unable to hold in his elation at the accomplishment even weeks after the fact. It's a youthful sound, illustrating the joy—even the thrill—Telford still gets from farming. This is what feels he was born to do, and it's tough to argue. A grower—and especially a seed potato grower— doesn't stay in business, much less steadily grow his operation, for decades without at least a smidgen of innate ability and desire. He says he can't even begin to count the people and relationships in the industry that have helped him along the way. SEED GROWER OF THE YEAR L ve of the Game For Telford Sun Valley & Lost River Seed Mike Telford works harvest with his sons Bob (left) and Mark. Three other sons—Aaron, Jared and Ryan—also work on the family's diversified farming operation. 12 POTATO GROWER | IDAHO ANNUAL 2018

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