March 2019 - 25

Whoever has the gold makes the rules - usually
We've all heard
the adage: " Whoever
has the gold makes
the rules. "
While generally
UNITED POTATO
GROWERS OF
AMERICA
Buzz Shahan
Chief Operating
Officer
true the concept
does have
exceptions. One, the
person with the gold
makes the rules only
if he or she wants to;
and two, in a more
subtle occurrence,
the person with the
gold may not realize that he happens to be
the one with the gold in the first place.
This second scenario seems to be the
case with some potato growers. Consider
that everyone in the potato-industry food
chain depends upon potatoes for their very
existence. Where would they be without
potatoes? Without potatoes, there would
be nothing to peel, slice, dice, freeze or
sell. Without potatoes, they would have
nothing to dehydrate. Without potatoes,
they would have nothing to pack, ship or
sell. In summation, without potatoes they
would have to get a job at the convenience
store selling corn dogs.
This intends no disrespect to those vital
links in the chain that turn potatoes into
money. Rather, it is to point out that they are
only links in the chain, not its foundation.
Beyond any dispute, the potato grower
is the foundation for any dollar that comes
afterward.
So why is it that the individual who risks
everything to make it all possible must sit
across the desk from his loan officer, hat
in hand, year after year fidgeting to explain
how next year he will pay off his operating
line? This should not happen when it is the
grower who lies at the foundation of all that
comes next in the generation of millions
upon millions of dollars flowing into so many
people's pockets, including the banker's.
Explanations for this unfortunate
situation range all the way from manly pride
to what academics refer to as a hayseed
mentality. It happens because, unlike many
in the business who understand how the
potato market works and how to use market
knowledge to great advantage, some potato
growers have yet to realize that they are the
ones with the gold. They are the ones who
produce the " coin of the realm. "
Because potato growers in key regions
have figured this out and now have a
sustainable business model, we know
that such is possible. By lifting one's eyes
beyond one's own farm gate and seeing
the whole picture, especially the market
component, a potato grower can improve
his economic life beyond expectations.
And this is not because the nature of
farming potatoes has changed; farming
potatoes is still farming potatoes. What has
changed, generating millions of dollars in
increased grower revenue, is actually the
potato-growing culture itself; successful
potato growing now includes - in fact,
must include - market savvy. While selling
potatoes used to be randomly chaotic,
successful selling today happens in a
culture where growers work together to
gather, analyze and utilize market data to
stabilize a fair market price.
Because of this cultural shift, farming
potatoes is a more dependable business
now than at any time in history. How
refreshing is that!
Accurate Weight, down
to the Last Potato
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Spudman * March 2019
25
http://www.greentronics.com

March 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2019

March 2019 - 1
March 2019 - 2
March 2019 - 3
March 2019 - 4
March 2019 - 5
March 2019 - 6
March 2019 - 7
March 2019 - 8
March 2019 - 9
March 2019 - 10
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March 2019 - 23
March 2019 - 24
March 2019 - 25
March 2019 - 26
March 2019 - 27
March 2019 - 28
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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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