Still at it. Jim Coombs operates the harvester during the 2013 harvest.
In most peoples' minds, New Jersey
is not exactly synonymous with potato
farming, and the Coombs family knows
it. Though they don't exactly farm in the
middle of a subdivision, they understand
the perceived novelty of farming in the
most densely populated state in the U.S.
"We live in a very rural area that has
a lot of farms," says Amanda. "But it is
amazing to watch the reactions of truckers
and haulers when they come to pick up
our merchandise. They always comment
on how they had no idea there was a place
like this in New Jersey."
Since 1978, Jim has engineered and
built almost all of the harvest and grading
equipment on the Coombs operation.
Dump bodies, bulk bodies, windrowers
and harvesters are just some of the things
that have been manufactured in his on-thefarm shop in the last three-plus decades.
In fact, Jim Coombs LLC's only pieces of
equipment not manufactured on-site are
their potato cutter, tractors and trucks
(top) Harvest time. Depending on the year and variety,
the Coombs crew harvests potatoes from July to October.
(middle) Self-reliant. Almost all potato equipment at
Jim Coombs, LLC was engineered by Jim Coombs and
manufactured on-site.
(lower) Into the woods. Even in the densly populated
New Jersey, the Coombs family finds space to grow
potatoes.
www.potatogrower.com 29
