Potato Grower

14 POTATO GROWER | IDAHO ANNUAL 2021 buy 1,200 acres of dry farm ground in the high country, and Skyline Farms had its start. George loved farming, and he was good at it. He passed that passion on to his six children, but let them know that returning to the farm as adults was neither a birthright nor an obligation. "Dad wanted us to be absolutely sure—especially as we got married and started families of our own—that this is what we wanted to do," says Conn. "He wanted it to be our decision, not his." As a young couple, Conn and his wife Whitney made that decision and threw themselves wholeheartedly into farming. In 1998, Whitney's father, Mike Stevens—a neighbor of the Crapos' Skyline operation—approached the Crapos about the possibility of selling his seed potato operation to them. "That was very intriguing to me," says Conn. "The Crapos weren't seed growers, and my dad and brothers didn't want to be seed growers. But we've always been big believers in diversification, and Dad especially was very supportive of me doing seed." So he dove in, growing seed for many of the original Stevens customers as well as for Crapo Farms. The high, hilly country hasn't always been easy to farm, but it has proven to be an ideal place for Crapo to grow quality seed potatoes. Over the years, Skyline Farms has steadily expanded; Crapo now grows 14 different varieties for dozens of customers across the Northwest in the process, fry and fresh markets. That old Crapo belief in the power of diversification has driven much of the growth. "I realized very quickly that a seed grower has to understand and be involved in every aspect of the potato industry," Crapo says. "I have to be in all realms because of, for example, the volatility of the fresh market. That market can be really tough some years, but in the good years it makes us the most money." Beyond that belief in business diversification, though, people and relationships are what Crapo considers to be far and away the most important aspect of his business. Much of Skyline's growth has come via neighboring seed growers retiring and offering to sell their outfits to Crapo—a trust he doesn't take lightly. A premium on relationships extends to employees and customers.

• Cover