Potato Grower

WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 29 MOST POPULAR VEGETABLE Finding the right way to market potatoes United Potato Growers of America By Buzz Shahan Chief Operating Officer With so many potato suppliers there must be a mechanism, an organization, a system of monitoring supply such that markets receive a coordinated supply. This is fundamental stuff. Without it, your farm is a crapshoot, not a business. David awoke one day to learn that he'd just inherited his grandfather's Idaho farm. David's mother was raised on that farm but had left it a generation ago to attend college. She met David's father, a Chicago boy, while in college; David, the inheritor, was the result. Since his father was a city boy, David was raised a city boy. His mother never spoke badly of the farm; it was a dairy farm and she grew up performing the necessary chores. While those memories didn't exactly excite young David as she recounted them, learning about her father and knowing him did. Where David's father and the fathers of his neighborhood friends wore suits and ties to work and had pale complexions and small, well- manicured hands, Grandpa had large, strong hands, seemingly made of leather and with a face to match. Grandpa's voice was strong, too, and offered strong opinions, opinions that did not change with the audience. Grandpa was impressive, memorable. So were his horses, dogs, guns, Jeep and pickup truck. So were his boat and tractors and the mounted elk's head with antlers that spanned the wall of the room where young David and Grandpa watched rodeos and football on TV. Life for David has been a glide: He was a boy in the example of his parents; good grades, Eagle Scout, University of Chicago economics major, Harvard MBA with a career as a marketing consultant for large firms such as IBM, Toyota and General Mills. A great life, but not Grandpa's life. Rather than sell Grandpa's farm or lease it out, David considers farming it himself. Dairy farming is out. Researching other crop-mix possibilities, he quickly discards commodity crops like wheat and corn. David discovers that potatoes are America's favorite vegetable, and his farm sits right in the middle of potato country. At church David inquires as to who among the congregation is a potato farmer. Harold is pointed out as the largest potato producer in the area. David approaches him, introduces himself, briefly describes his situation, and sets a date to visit Harold's farm. David's first question is, "How do you market your potatoes?" "What do you mean, 'How do I market my potatoes?" "Well, with so many potato suppliers, there must be a mechanism, an organization, a system of monitoring supply such that markets receive a coordinated supply. This is the way everyone who is part of a supply chain runs their business. This is fundamental stuff. Without it, your farm is a crapshoot, not a business." "No, we don't do supply-chain stuff. Every man just does what he can." "But you're providing consumers their favorite vegetable. Surely you get together to monitor and measure supply and demand values so that you can protect your business investment, while at the same time assuring that your customers have a secure supply?" "No, we don't do that," Harold responds, scratching his chin, "But if we did, how would something like that work?" The benefits of Cell Power ® SLYCE ® Cell Power ® SLYCE ® Call 559-661-6138 Visit www.omexusa.com The primary components of SLYCE ® Ca8% act to greatly increase the soil available fertility, especially when applied after granular fertilizers (like DAP, MAP or KCl) Email omexusa@omexcom ® . Helps regulate pH of soil and increase soil fertility. Promotes the rapid development of chlorophyll, sugars and amino acids in plants and aids in photosynthesis. Helps stimulate seed germination in short time, greatly increasing the harvest and fruits quality. Greatly increases the plant's ability to counter stress and disease. Increases the organic matter of soil and improves soil structure, promotes the buffering power of soil, and nutrient capacity. Helps create a good living environment for microbial masses.

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