www.potatogrower.com 23
In the ground. Planting at the Massers' typically runs
from mid-April through Memorial Day weekend.
Julie Masser Ballay, who serves as chief
technical officer. The farm operates 4,500
acres of potatoes, corn, wheat, alfalfa
and timothy hay. Roughly 600 to 700 of
those acres grow potatoes each year, all of
them table-stock varieties: round whites
and round yellows, as well as specialty
fingerling and petite varieties. "A few reds
are usually in there, too," says Dave.
Besides the farm, Sterman Masser
Farms also consists of a fresh-packing
shed and a dehydration facility. "The fresh
pack started back in 1970 with my dad
and grandfather," says Dave. "It started
with a one-line washer and carousel, and
it's expanded throughout the years." In
2000 the company underwent a major
expansion, and the facility is now home
to six weighers, a larger washer and a
specialty line. All these contribute to
the company's shipping out around 2.5
million pounds of fresh potatoes a year,
comprising everything grown on the
family's farm along with product from
several other growers across Pennsylvania
and the entire country.
Keith Masser had a hard and fast rule