16 Potato Grower |DECEMBER 2015
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Heartland Farms, Hancock, WI.
155198GreLtd12h.indd 1 8/25/15 1:48 PM
throughout the decades, but the Tuckers
have always managed to adapt and come
out on top.
As an example, Steve Tucker identifies
the 1997 closure of Frito-Lay's chip plant
in Florida as one hurdle. At the time, a
good chunk of the Tuckers' income came
from selling seed potatoes to commercial
growers in Florida. When the Frito-Lay
plant closed, many of those Florida
growers were forced to close their doors.
Some 1,300 miles to the north, Tucker
Farms felt the impact as well.
"We lost those farms as customers, and
that was about half our crop," says Steve.
"We didn't have any other chip farmers to
sell to."
WORKING SMART
So the Tuckers went back to the drawing
board to come up with new ways to remain
profitable. The decision was made to
downsize the potato operation and get into
the specialty market. "We're making more
money per acre now," says Steve. "There
were some doubts when our Florida
customers went out of business, but we're
still here."
GROWER OF THE MONTH
ALL'S WELL
"This is a pretty enjoyable way
of life," says Tom Tucker when
asked what made him want to
be a farmer.
