FEBRUARY 19, 2025
Growing Together: Derek Friehe & Travis Meacham
February 19, 2025
Teamwork, Tech Fuel Operation at Friehe Farms in Washington
In the idyllic Upper Columbia River Basin in Washington state, Friehe Farms relies on a combination of technology and old-fashioned teamwork to produce quality russet potatoes for America’s fries.
Derek Friehe’s father immigrated to the area from Germany in the early 1980s, saw the region held excellent opportunities for potato farming, and started the family business.
“My brother and I came back eight or nine years ago, learned quite a bit from Dad and the managers, and we’ve been slowly transitioning into leadership,” Derek said. “There’s a lot of family, a lot of kids, and we’re building something hopefully for the next generation. There’s only three of us back right now. There could be up to 16 or 17 in the next generation.”
Derek attributes his family farm’s success to the team of employees working there.
“Essential characteristics for farming would be a combination of timing, luck and hard work,” he said. “Then you need really, really good help and a lot of people around you, whether that’s managers all the way down to truck drivers. You need a solid team to keep that success going.”
Production manager Travis Meacham agreed.
“Everybody in the whole operation is very important,” he said. “We are lucky enough to have great people working here with us. It makes the job go so much better when everybody’s working toward the same goal.”
Travis added that technology also plays a major role in the farm’s success.
“A lot of technology folds into how we are looking at things and gaining information to put back on the farm,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of luck by flying drones out there. We can fly a whole field, analyze the field and take thousands of pictures. Computer programs will figure out if there’s something going on. They can detect maybe if there’s a disease or maybe a pest out there. Then they can isolate just those pictures where they think something is different than normal.”
He added that GPS can guide tractors and planters to the “sub-inch level” to ensure the precise planting of rows of potatoes.
Technology also helps store potatoes more effectively by monitoring humidity and temperatures down to one-tenth of one degree. Tubes distribute air through piles of potatoes in storage to ensure they don’t develop wet spots or hot spots.
Tried and true farming practices help keep Friehe Farms’ crops high-quality, as well.
“We grow potatoes on a piece of ground only once every four years,” Travis said. “That break in time gives a chance for the ground to relax and takes away disease pressure. We feel we get better quality and quantity from potatoes in that rotation.”
What really helps, though, is the Columbia River Basin’s idyllic climate—especially the “really nice long days and good heat in summer, but cool nights.” “There’s lots to love about growing potatoes,” Travis said. “It’s a food that so many people eat and I really enjoy myself. I’m always asked what’s my favorite way to eat potatoes. It’s an easy answer: something different every day. You can have potatoes so many different ways, so I can’t say it’s just one.”
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