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The Potatoes USA Executive Committee traveled to Colorado’s San Luis Valley to meet with growers and their families, tour farms and packing operations, and keep a pulse on the opportunities and challenges shaping the region’s potato industry.
The agenda included visits to:
Worley Family Farms in Monte Vista, which has 2,000 acres of potatoes, an on-farm tissue culture lab and greenhouse, and a packaging facility. Bob Mattive and his wife Gail have owned their farm since 1982, and their sons, Grant and Reid, and nephew, Matthew, also work there.
“Generating our own seed is like baking a cake from scratch rather than from a box,” said Gail. It takes more work, but it makes sense for them. The farm sources potato cultures from the nearby San Luis Valley Research Lab run by Colorado State University.
The San Luis Valley Research Center, in Center, supports growers in the region through research and educational programs designed to optimize agricultural productivity. The center develops new potato varieties and stores tissue cultures for over 600 varieties of potatoes. It also offers potato certification services and develops guidelines for the successful, sustainable, and economic growth of potatoes.
Skyline Potato, also in Center, a major commercial grower and bulk distributor of fresh potatoes provides harvest storage for the valley. Les Alderete has served as the general manager since 2014. He’s responsible for pricing management, collaborating with growers, and ensuring the supply of fresh products for clients.
White Rock Specialties in Mosca, is a joint venture between two multi-generational family farms (Rockey Farms and White Mountain Farm) that operates a dedicated organic packing facility out of the renovated Sangre de Cristo High School building.
Blanca Farms, a farm and potato packing company in the town of Blanca uses significant technological innovation in packing and shipping potatoes.
Committee members also connected with growers during evening outreach events throughout the trip.
The Executive Committee members came away energized by their time in the San Luis Valley, which grows approximately 90% of Colorado’s potato crop, generating an estimated $328 million in economic activity and supporting more than 2,200 jobs in the region.
“One of the greatest strengths of our industry is the people behind it,” said David Masser, Chairman of Potatoes USA. “Our grower outreach trips give us the opportunity to leave the boardroom, walk the fields, tour operations, and have meaningful conversations with the growers who invest in Potatoes USA through their assessments. Those conversations build trust, strengthen relationships, and ensure we’re focused on what matters most: Strengthening demand for potatoes and delivering value back to America’s potato growers.”
He added, “After four days in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, I came away even more confident that when we listen to one another and work together, our industry’s future is incredibly bright.”
For the past several years, Executive Committee members have visited various regions of the country to connect with growers, learn about the issues they face, and provide them with an update on how Potatoes USA is strengthening demand for potatoes.