November/December 2020 - 11

The husband-wife team of Braydon and Amanda Wakasugi
handle operations at San Acacio Seed.
" During the summer, he'd pick me up before the sun
came up and we'd go work all day, " Braydon Wakasugi
said. " It just grew on me and I knew I wanted to follow
in his footsteps. "
The San Acacio partnership allowed Braydon
to transition to a leadership role on the new farm.
Amanda was hired to handle the administration side
of things, which is how the two met. Amanda, a native
of New Mexico, did not grow up on a farm, but began
working in the potato crop production in 2011 and
made frequent trips to the San Luis Valley for croprelated
business.
" I just fell in love with the Valley and the people here
and love working with potatoes, " she said. " The seed
industry is a different ballgame, but it's a challenge that
we meet every day. "
GROWING IN THE VALLEY
The San Luis Valley, while technically a valley
because it is surrounded by highlands, is still more
than a mile above sea level. Salazar Farms, owned
and operated by LeRoy Salazar, is at 7,700 feet.
The elevation makes for cool summer nights and
a short-but-good growing season for potatoes.
Planting is between April 25 and May 10 and harvest
is done by the second week of October, if not the first
week. Frost-free days can dip below 90 some years,
Salazar said.
Spudman * November/December 2020
9

November/December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2020

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