
CORNELL, Mich. (WLUC) – Upper Peninsula residents might not know that if they’ve eaten baked potatoes, french fries or potato chips, they have probably eaten a potato that started in the ground on a Cornell farm.
The Hansons have grown seed potatoes on the 98-year-old family farm since the 1940s. right now, it’s harvest time.
“We’re harvesting right around 300 acres, which is about 10 to 12 million pounds of potatoes,” Co-Owner and fourth-generation Farmer Scott Hanson said.
Seed potatoes, that is. Hanson said seed potatoes are smaller potatoes grown to sell to large potato farms.
“There’s five seed growers in the U.P., and that’s where the seed starts to supply the whole state of Michigan, believe it or not,” Hanson said.
The Hanson farm ships to commercial growers in Wisconsin, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Canada. The growers then cut the seed potatoes into quarters and replant them to produce potato crops, which are then turned into foods like potato chips and french fries and sold to grocery stores or other suppliers.
However, before the potatoes are shipped off, Hanson said they spend about six months on the farm in large above-ground storage buildings, which he called ‘bins.’ The largest bin is 120′ deep, 32′ wide, and 15′ high, and holds about 1.5 million pounds of seed potatoes. In about three weeks at the end of harvest, the crew will have filled nine buildings.
While the potatoes are in storage, samples are pulled from each field and sent to Hawaii for disease testing. A lab plants the samples, performs a quick grow process and tests the crop in January. The results are then sent to the Hansons.
“If they stay clean enough, then we can sell them for certified seed and start shipping the stored seed potatoes at the end of February,” Hanson said. “The first load will go to a customer in southern Michigan who will take around 70 to 80 semi loads.”
Hanson said the harvest this year is going smoothly. The cool, frost-free nights are helping, as are the crew of retirees and family.
“I have a son. He’s out in the field right now. He’s running the windrower,” Hanson said. “He’s 20 years old, and he is the fifth generation on this farm.”
Hanson’s son went to Fox Valley Technical College to earn a certificate for agriculture equipment service technician.
“Last week, one of our tractors quit in the field, and he was able to actually get inside the computer on it and get it running again,” the proud dad said.
Hanson’s nephew, who is still in high school, also comes to work the harvest every day when classes get out. Hanson said, except for the high schooler, everyone is out in the field by 6 a.m., and no one hangs up their hat for the day until about 7:30 p.m.
That includes Hanson’s parents, Diane and Dennis, who handed the farm off to him and his brother about 14 years ago. The couple were helping sort potatoes on the conveyor belt, and Diane was taking breaks to run up to the house to put dinner on.
Hanson said the future of the farm looks bright, especially with the next generation getting involved.
“The demand for seed is in our state is higher than what we can actually grow right now,” he said.
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