Potato Grower

WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 23 4081-21AmericanNewlong13s.indd 1 4081-21AmericanNewlong13s.indd 1 9/2/20 2:44 PM 9/2/20 2:44 PM 4079-4SafeTPull13s.indd 1 4079-4SafeTPull13s.indd 1 6/24/20 9:00 AM 6/24/20 9:00 AM There's not enough space here to share the experiences of every Montana grower who has gotten a start thanks to non-family mentors. Nina Zidack, director of the Montana State Seed Potato Certification Program, is ready with a whole list of successful mentor/protégé success stories. Among them: • Traig DeBoer, who as a teenager so impressed his employer Bill Cole that he was handed the reins to the farm immediately after high school graduation; • T.J., Curt and David Dykema, originally cattle ranchers with no potato experience, who took over Ron Dyk's farm about seven years ago; and • Clark Johnson, who partnered with Bill Skinner and continues to run a successful mini-tuber and early-generation farm since Skinner's retirement. "Seed potato farming is very capital- intensive," says Zidack. "It's difficult to get a start. These mentors are contributing tremendously to the future of our industry in the state of Montana, and all of these new farmers have brought a fresh perspective to our state." "There's a team feeling here in Montana, and we felt it the day we walked in," says Travis Stuber. "I can call any one of the neighbors and ask for advice. And every one of them is so helpful. We really are all looking out for each other." Matt Foth points out one other, very important common thread among Montana's seed growers. "Bill had this quote hanging in his office when I was a teenager: 'Persistence is omnipotent.' When I finally wrapped my head around it, something just clicked," he says. "If this is something you want, you can do it. I could hand you the golden key and you might not make it. But anybody can make it work if they have the drive, the persistence and the willingness to learn."

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