Potato Grower

July 2018

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16 POTATO GROWER | JULY 2018 The Atchley family ranch consists of 5,000 acres near Ashton in southeastern Idaho, just southwest of Yellowstone National Park. Their land lies on the Northern Snake River plain, with clean, mountain spring water. The soil is rich volcanic dirt. Clen Atchley says growing there results in fewer soil-borne viruses, bacteria and nematodes, and his crops experience less pressure from insects such as potato beetles and peach aphids. It sounds like the ideal environment to irrigate potatoes with center pivots, right? But did we mention his farmland is also at an elevation of 5,100 to 5,500 feet, and that some of his fields rest on inclines so steep trucks can't climb them? Theirs is a close family operation, with Clen's daughter, Laura Pickard, managing the operation's potatoes, canola and wheat. His son-in-law, Clay Pickard, handles the hay and the cattle. Clen's wife, Emma, manages their greenhouse, Ashton High-Tech Seed, and somehow finds time to serve on the Idaho State Board of Education. Atchley "tries to stay retired, but fill[s] in when needed." The operation also has six full-time employees who have worked on the farm for decades and are an essential element in the farm's success. "Our ground is close to the timberline and close to mountains, with a rolling base," Atchley says. "There's 30 feet of soil some places, one foot in others." The Atchleys' landscape might be more extreme than most, but they face the challenges common to all potato growers, like concerns about PVY. "Keeping disease readings low is important," he says. "And, of course, you need the right price and a good growing season." The short growing season in Ashton— longer winters mean Atchley usually can't even start until May 1 or later—means seed potatoes are the best option for most growers in the area. "More seed potatoes are grown in Ashton than anywhere because of the short season," he says. "We keep the potato ground on a four- to eight-year rotation, which is beneficial for seed potatoes." The Atchleys harvest up to 300,000 sacks per year, selling seed primarily to other Idaho and Oregon potato growers. Atchley passes on the many lessons learned over his 48 years in farming, including those related to different methods of irrigation. His grandfather homesteaded the land in 1901 but struggled to clear the volcanic rock. His father tried flood irrigation, but "it didn't take too long to figure out that didn't work too well on hills." The right amount of water is important to avoid runoff, Atchley explains: "Once an erosion line starts, you have to live with it for the summer." Similarly, if the snow melts too fast, it can create gullies; the Atchleys create dams to help avoid that issue. Atchley himself tried hand lines and wheel lines to irrigate his fields, but those weren't satisfactory, either, because those methods were too labor-intensive and not responsive enough to the precise water application needs of potatoes, especially on steep inclines. By Andrew Oerman, Valley Irrigation Photos by Tyrell Marchant Steep slopes don't deter Idaho seed grower from irrigating with center pivots Tall Hills, Short Season Pivot Practice Makes Potatoes Perfect The Hill Country

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