Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/654060
WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 21 The Strohauers are potato people. They are also proud Coloradans. But that hasn't stopped the family from chasing—and achieving—success elsewhere. Harry Stohauer represents the third generation in his family to farm in the Greeley, Colo., area just north of Denver. Strohauers have worked the land in the Greeley area for over a century, and potatoes have come from Strohauer ground since the 1940s. Harry Strohauer grew up in La Salle, Colo, and has run the operation since his father, Harry P., passed away when Harry was just 16 years old. "Potatoes have been an important part of the farm since I was born," says Strohauer. "They have always been more my passion than anything else." Unexpected Move In the middle of the 20th century, Greeley was a bit of a potato hotbed; in fact, if the old-timers are to be believed, the area one had a higher concentration of potato growers than eastern Idaho or Colorado's famed San Luis Valley. The Strohauers were a major part of that, and remain so. However, severe water shortages have plagued the area for the last decade or so, pushing all but a handful of potato growers out. "Hay or wheat or even corn at times can do without water if you absolutely have to," says Strohauer, "but any potato grower knows you've got to have a secure source of water at all times for your potatoes." Things came to a head in 2012, when drought forced Strohauer to sacrifice several fields of corn to ensure his potatoes had enough water to survive. He an his wife Katie, along with their management team, decided the farm simply could not sustain its potato production in northern Colorado. The decision was made to relocate a large portion of the farm's operations to northwestern New Mexico, and it's hard to imagine the move yielding better results than it has. Finding a niche Strohauer Farms' shipping point in Clayton, N.M., is a mere half- mile from New Mexico's borders with both Texas and Oklahoma. Strohauer potatoes are grown in all three states, giving them a unique marketing advantage. "From one shipping point, we're able to market locally grown, farm- to-market potatoes in three different states," says Brandon Rattray, Strohauer Farms' move south has facilitated growth that their Colorado operation simply couldn't support any longer. During harvest and planting, Harry Strohauer uses his private plane to shuttle employees between La Salle, Colo., and Clayton, N.M.