Potato Grower

www.potatogrower.com 9 www.potatogrower.com 9 TOP: SQUEAKY CLEAN The industrial-sized pipe cleaners developed by Potato Services have reduced labor and increased efficiency and efficacy of the company's cleaning services. CENTER: LEADING THE CHARGE (From left) Operations manager Shane Larsen and owners Terry Mortensen and Thane Siddoway work hard to ensure that PSI is on the cutting edge of potato storage sanitation. BOTTOM: WHITE AS SNOW Bio-Ultra, PSI's high-foaming detergent, breaks down contaminants and loosens them from cellar walls. from the chlorine products," Mortensen explains. "We saw the results and liked what we saw." Over the years, PSI has continued to improve the application methods on potatoes going into storage as well as potatoes being stored. They have found various methods to apply the disinfectants depending on the needs and conditions of the grower. Most recently, PSI has developed "reverse directional fogging," which has proven in many situations to be more consistent and effective in pushing and pulling the disinfectants through a pile of potatoes. Also, PSI has built its own industrial-sized ventilation pipe cleaners. These cleaners were designed to apply high-pressure water and disinfectant to the inside and outside of pipes. "These machines were expensive to build, but they really get the job done," Mortensen says. "They have reduced our labor requirements and increased our efficiency. I don't know what we'd do without them." Over the last few years, government regulations have placed a new standard of cleanliness on farms around the country. "With the implementation of GAP requirements, PSI has responded with an effective and complete program that allows customers to receive a certification that those requirements have been

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