April 2019 - 12

" The reason we grow
so many varieties is
because we're always
looking for a better
one, or the best one. "
- Don Kitchen, Kitchen Farms
higher than they were 25 years ago.
We're broader spectrum now. "
Kitchen is a big fan of studying
agronomics and overall soil health
practices. His father, Bill, once said the
alfalfa was a major factor in his soil's
efficiency.
" Our yields
are tremendous, " Bill
Kitchen told the Traverse City RecordEagle
in 2014. " That's because of our
alfalfa rotation. "
LABOR AND REGULATIONS
Having a staff of more than 40 and
not being able to offer year-round
employment to nearly half makes
labor among Kitchen's biggest ongoing
concerns. " Don't get me wrong, I have
some very good people, " Kitchen said.
He added that trucking issues seem to
have calmed down " the past six months "
12
Spudman.com
following the initial implementation of
the electronic logging device (ELD) law
in 2017.
Kitchen's other biggest headache:
regulations. " Doesn't matter if it's
an underground storage tank or
pesticides that I'm putting on my fields,
regulations are probably the toughest
thing for me to keep up on, " Kitchen
said. " The (Michigan Potato Industry
Commission) does a great job keeping
us informed, but it's always something. "
Like other growers, keeping up with
regulations is probably a never-ending
process, much like his quest for the
perfect potato variety. Part of him
does enjoy the experimentation of
new varieties. Kitchen gets a good look
at them each year, as Michigan State
University's Breeding and Genetics
program conducts trials in his fields.
" My ultimate goal would be to get
it down to a half dozen, " Kitchen said.
" One, it's easier; but two, I hope it's the
one that really works, one that I can fine
tune and tweak the agronomy and grow
it better.
" I'd like to nail it down to a few good
ones, but I do like to try new varieties. "
Kitchen grew up loving farming, but
there was a time during his teen years
when he wasn't so sure it was in his
future. He's glad it panned out, though.
" I really love seeing the potato plants
growing in July and August and alfalfa
being cut, the irrigation system going
and tractors in the field. I love that
aspect of it, " he said. " In the winter, I
love to talk to my customers, I love to
talk to the people I sell to.
" I have a lot of good customers.
Really, we're partners. "

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
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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
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