A recent study revealed that 92 percent of consumers indicate it’s somewhat, or very, important to know where their food comes from.
Until recently, nearly all potatoes grown within the borders of Idaho were one variety—the Russet Burbank. This variety was actually discovered by accident when a brilliant horticulturist, Luther Burbank, was experimenting with another potato variety in the back yard of his New England home. Burbank brought his first potato to California, and it later was planted in Washington and Oregon. Finally, it was modified in Colorado to have a reticulated, rough-skinned texture. Once it arrived on Idaho soil, everything changed.
The reasons are simple: Idaho’s unique growing conditions, coupled with warm, sunny days and cool, crisp nights. The rich volcanic soil was just waiting for the application of water from irrigation to be able to produce bountiful crops of potatoes. Every year, Idaho harvests about 13 billion pounds of potatoes from 311,000 acres of mineral-rich volcanic soil.
Today there are more than 600 farmers in Idaho who grow spuds adding russet, red, gold and fingerling varieties over the years and contributing further to Idaho’s potato market share. Farming isn’t easy and yet it’s one of the most important careers in the world.
While growing and shipping advances were evolving, new technology was improving potato products. Scientists and food technologists were exploring methods for capturing the freshest of Idaho flavors to create top-quality frozen and dehydrated potatoes. The industry’s quality controls are so sophisticated that processed potato foods are often able to maintain their nutritional content with an extended shelf life. For more information, visit www.idahopotato.com
Farming isn’t easy and yet it’s one of the most important careers in the world