April 2019 - 10

The majority of Kitchen potatoes are
sold to other growers for the purpose
of repacking, although Kitchen said he
does have a few accounts with retailers.
Most of Kitchen's buyers are in the
Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, but
he does have customers in the Deep
South as well.
" I package whatever - 5-pound,
3-pound
10-pound,
bags,
50-pound
carton - whatever any consumer would
want, I can pack, " said Kitchen, who
does offer direct-to-consumer sales at
the farm, but they make up a very small
percentage of overall business.
STEADY GROWTH
While the farm encompasses 5,000
acres, only about 3,900 of them are
irrigated. Kitchen grows potatoes
in three-year rotations, with alfalfa
planted during the off years. Each year,
Kitchen dedicates approximately 1,250
acres to potatoes.
" We plant in May. We harvest in
September and October and the first of
November, we start packing, " Kitchen
said. " We're normally pretty steady in
November, December, January and
then February. March, April and May is
generally when we get extremely busy. "
The operation employs 42 people
most of the year, including Don
and wife Sarah, who works in an
administrative role. The couple have
two teenage children, Dylan, 17, and
Hailey, 14. (Non-paid staffers include
the couple's three dogs, including a
German shepherd named Spud.)
The
full-time
staff
includes
five
drivers for Kitchen's five trucks, two
maintenance specialists and the rest
make up the packing and field crews.
There is a layoff period during the
summer following planting when the
staff shrinks to about half its usual size.
Kitchen said growing fewer varieties,
like the farm did 30 years ago, would be
simpler, but times have changed and
the diversification has been a means
to meet the growing diversification of
wants from consumers. Efficiency, too,
has improved.
" Our business plan, as a whole, has
changed. I have a lot more customers
than I used to have, " Kitchen said. " I do
have higher volume because we have
higher yields. My yields today are a lot
10
Spudman.com
Top, Don Kitchen spends much of his time during the winter months talking
with customers. Middle and bottom, a look inside Kitchen Farms' packing and
shipping facility.

http://www.Spudman.com

April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2019

April 2019 - 1
April 2019 - 2
April 2019 - 3
April 2019 - 4
April 2019 - 5
April 2019 - 6
April 2019 - 7
April 2019 - 8
April 2019 - 9
April 2019 - 10
April 2019 - 11
April 2019 - 12
April 2019 - 13
April 2019 - 14
April 2019 - 15
April 2019 - 16
April 2019 - 17
April 2019 - 18
April 2019 - 19
April 2019 - 20
April 2019 - 21
April 2019 - 22
April 2019 - 23
April 2019 - 24
April 2019 - 25
April 2019 - 26
April 2019 - 27
April 2019 - 28
April 2019 - 29
April 2019 - 30
April 2019 - 31
April 2019 - 32
April 2019 - 33
April 2019 - 34
April 2019 - 35
April 2019 - 36
April 2019 - 37
April 2019 - 38
April 2019 - 39
April 2019 - 40
April 2019 - 41
April 2019 - 42
April 2019 - 43
April 2019 - 44
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-potato-expo-2025-digital-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/september-october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-november-december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-september-october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-july-august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-november-december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-july-august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/september-october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/july-august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/september-october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/july-august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/september-october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/july-august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/may-june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/basf-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2019
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