Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/467629
22 Potato Grower | MARCH 2015 Each of Jones's three teenaged children have spent consider- able time working on the farm, and whether they come back to the farm as adults or not, Jones knows the experience has been good for the family. "The best thing I feel I can give my family is my time, for one, and No. 2 is an opportunity," he says. "What they do with those things is going to be their prerogative. It's a great way to make a living. I won't say we're going to get rich, but we make a good living—not to mention being able to work with all the great people in the potato industry." Jones knows that that opportunity is important not only for his family, but for his employees as well. He utilizes a profit-sharing plan in which each team of employees is eligible for performance bonuses based on achievement in areas ranging from equipment to yields. "It's a real team effort here," he says. "We've got so much money invested in the infrastructure of a large farm, it takes a team to keep it all together. We all have to be held responsible and accountable." In the end, Jones believes his success comes down to having the faith to reinvest in his own operation and in constantly trying to learn and improve. "Everything we do, it's all learned behav- ior," he says. "What's all that knowledge worth? I couldn't tell you. All I know is that I have a head full of it." PG (top) Green fields. Because of southern Florida's unique sandy soils, Jones says that irrigation is a challenge on his operation just as it is for growers in other regions. (left) Taking a look. Jones inspects the progress of a field of Atlantics in early January. (above) Cash cow. Along with growing about 2,000 acres of potatoes, Jones Farm pro- duces green beans and citrus fruit, and has a herd of about 100 cow/calf pairs.