Jeff Harper

Jeff Harper describes himself as a potato grower who farms out of a box.He's entirely portable - renting land, equipment and storage.

After 22 years at it, he says he must be successful to still be in business.As the business of raising potatoes in Idaho has become increasingly more difficult, Harper has carved out a niche for himself growing chipping potatoes.

"It started out that I came down here to work for a company selling fertilizer," he said.
...
Atlantics are great for areas with short growing seasons, and Harper says as they begin digging in July.The area is desolate, but isolated enough to provide little pests.But that doesn't necessarily mean without challenges, he points out.

"You gotta make them highly desirable for making chips.And you've got specific gravity issues and fry color issues.They can be as tough as frozen potatoes for french fries," he said.

So if he rents his ground, equipment, storage and raises potatoes that have little disease and insect pressures, one might think Jeff Harper has no challenges ahead.But then we come back to the water issue being the limiting factor around Idaho.Perhaps, not in the same way as other growers like Steve Reynolds, who owns his property; but water issues still present themselves as a challenge for Harper.
...
Harper and Steve Reynolds farm side by side in Southwest Idaho.
...
Harper says he pretty much grew up around the Twin Falls area, where his father had a restaurant and his mother taught school.Not having a family legacy in farming hasn't hurt him a bit.Instead, he's passed the education legacy on from his mother, his wife and a son who teaches in California.
...
Harper and Reynolds both are part of the original group that formed after contracts failed in 1996 and growers were left without contracts.
...
Harper is on the board of directors of the SIPC.With over 70% of the potatoes that go for processing being grown in the Pacific Northwest - including Idaho - he is adamant about growers knowing their bottom line and keeping contract prices at least at the cost of production.

Volume is a big issue also for the organization and for Harper, who has helped set contract prices in the past.If the agreed upon volume is not met, Harper says processors make them "swing growers," and that's not a good situation for the next year's contracts. "A big issue to growers is contract volume and who gets it," Harper explained.

Jeff Harper, chairman of Southern Idaho Potato Co-op, thanked the commission for what it had accomplished, but said that he had some criticism.

"There are no women on the commission," Harper said.

"Everything is put together with all four companies," said Jeff Harper, corporate secretary for SIPCO.

Speaking at a growers meeting at Burley Inn on Tuesday, Harper said this year's negotiations were tough.

"These four guys put their heart and soul into it," he said.

He thanked Paul Behrend, Mark Darrington, Greg Nickell and Butch Morris, the negotiators who helped settle contracts with Heinz, J.R. Simplot, Lamb Weston, and McCain Foods.

Just two hours before the 5 p.m. growers meeting, the negotiators had reached an agreement, Harper said.
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One of the companies didn't change color requirements at all, another modified requirements to be closer to the others and another adjusted the way color is graded, Harper said.

"At the end of the day, they are all basically the same," he said.
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The way the contracts were worded gives growers small increases, which would have been absent without organized negotiations, Harper said.
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Overall the contracts were positive, Harper said.

"I get pretty negative about it.You work so hard and move so little," he said, adding that he was pleased with the end result.

Jeff Harper describes himself as a potato grower who farms out of a box.He's entirely portable - renting land, equipment and storage.

After 22 years at it, he says he must be successful to still be in business.As the business of raising potatoes in Idaho has become increasingly more difficult, Harper has carved out a niche for himself growing chipping potatoes.

"It started out that I came down here to work for a company selling fertilizer," he said."When the low times or hard times hit in the early 1980s there was a lot of ground available and I just kind of put a deal together and then built it up as I went along."

The land that Harper farms is intermixed with other properties west of Mountain Home.Last year he farmed 1,480 acres, with 1,100 of it potatoes.In addition to the chippers he grows, he raises Norkotah for the fresh market and Burbank and Shepody for the process market.But he really likes growing Atlantics for chipping.
...
Atlantics are great for areas with short growing seasons, and Harper says as they begin digging in July.The area is desolate, but isolated enough to provide little pests.But that doesn't necessarily mean without challenges, he points out.

"You gotta make them highly desirable for making chips.And you've got specific gravity issues and fry color issues.They can be as tough as frozen potatoes for french fries," he said.

So if he rents his ground, equipment, storage and raises potatoes that have little disease and insect pressures, one might think Jeff Harper has no challenges ahead.But then we come back to the water issue being the limiting factor around Idaho.Perhaps, not in the same way as other growers like Steve Reynolds, who owns his property; but water issues still present themselves as a challenge for Harper.
...
Harper and Steve Reynolds farm side by side in Southwest Idaho.Their sons pal around together and they attend and facilitate grower meetings together.But both are quick to point out that they're not partners.

These two Idaho potato growers may not admit it, but they're pretty close to being partners.They're friendship is close and isn't mistaken for the "all business" relationship they'd like to present."Neighbors," is the resounding answer from both guys who raise potatoes in the small military town of Mountain Home.
...
Harper says he pretty much grew up around the Twin Falls area, where his father had a restaurant and his mother taught school.Not having a family legacy in farming hasn't hurt him a bit.Instead, he's passed the education legacy on from his mother, his wife and a son who teaches in California.Another son is a banker and finally, the youngest one is a part-time student and part-time, well, farmer.

"He won't admit it, but he's a farmer," Reynolds chimes in while the guys have a laugh."Only because he runs around with my son."

Both are involved in the new agreement with Potato Growers of Idaho and the Southern Idaho Potato Co-op (SIPC).
...
Harper and Reynolds both are part of the original group that formed after contracts failed in 1996 and growers were left without contracts.

Harper is on the board of directors of the SIPC.With over 70% of the potatoes that go for processing being grown in the Pacific Northwest - including Idaho - he is adamant about growers knowing their bottom line and keeping contract prices at least at the cost of production.

Volume is a big issue also for the organization and for Harper, who has helped set contract prices in the past.If the agreed upon volume is not met, Harper says processors make them "swing growers," and that's not a good situation for the next year's contracts. "A big issue to growers is contract volume and who gets it," Harper explained."And that's a big concern to the growers we represent right now.And that needs to change.We can't keep lowering contract prices to buy back contract volume."

Spudman Magazine - Great American Publishing343 South Union Street - PO Box 458 - Sparta Michigan 49345

Jeff Harper describes himself as a potato grower who farms out of a box.He's entirely portable – renting land, equipment and storage.

After 22 years at it, he says he must be successful to still be in business.As the business of raising potatoes in Idaho has become increasingly more difficult, Harper has carved out a niche for himself growing chipping potatoes."It started out that I came down here to work for a company selling fertilizer," he said."When the low times or hard times hit in the early 1980s there was a lot of ground available and I just kind of put a deal together and then built it up as I went along."

The land that Harper farms is intermixed with other properties west of Mountain Home.Last year he farmed 1,480 acres, with 1,100 of it potatoes.In addition to the chippers he grows, he raises Norkotah for the fresh market and Burbank and Shepody for the process market.But he really likes growing Atlantics for chipping.
...
Atlantics are great for areas with short growing seasons, and Harper says as they begin digging in July.The area is desolate, but isolated enough to provide little pests.But that doesn't necessarily mean without challenges, he points out. "You gotta make them highly desirable for making chips.And you've got specific gravity issues and fry color issues.They can be as tough as frozen potatoes for french fries," he said.

So if he rents his ground, equipment, storage and raises potatoes that have little disease and insect pressures, one might think Jeff Harper has no challenges ahead.But then we come back to the water issue being the limiting factor around Idaho.Perhaps, not in the same way as other growers like Steve Reynolds, who owns his property; but water issues still present themselves as a challenge for Harper.
...
Harper and Steve Reynolds farm side by side in Southwest Idaho.Their sons pal around together and they attend and facilitate grower meetings together.But both are quick to point out that they're not partners.

These two Idaho potato growers may not admit it, but they're pretty close to being partners.They're friendship is close and isn't mistaken for the "all business" relationship they'd like to present."Neighbors," is the resounding answer from both guys who raise potatoes in the small military town of Mountain Home.
...
Harper says he pretty much grew up around the Twin Falls area, where his father had a restaurant and his mother taught school.Not having a family legacy in farming hasn't hurt him a bit.Instead, he's passed the education legacy on from his mother, his wife and a son who teaches in California.Another son is a banker and finally, the youngest one is a part-time student and part-time, well, farmer.

"He won't admit it, but he's a farmer," Reynolds chimes in while the guys have a laugh."Only because he runs around with my son."Both are involved in the new agreement with Potato Growers of Idaho and the Southern Idaho Potato Co-op (SIPC).Not a formal agreement per se, members of the western Idaho bargaining group did agree to change the name so that any process growers in Idaho could join and get representation at the bargaining table.
...
Harper and Reynolds both are part of the original group that formed after contracts failed in 1996 and growers were left without contracts.
...
Harper is on the board of directors of the SIPC.With over 70% of the potatoes that go for processing being grown in the Pacific Northwest - including Idaho – he is adamant about growers knowing their bottom line and keeping contract prices at least at the cost of production.Volume is a big issue also for the organization and for Harper, who has helped set contract prices in the past.If the agreed upon volume is not met, Harper says processors make them "swing growers," and that's not a good situation for the next year's contracts. "A big issue to growers is contract volume and who gets it," Harper explained."And that's a big concern to the growers we represent right now.And that needs to change.We can't keep lowering contract prices to buy back contract volume."

Spudman Magazine - Great American Publishing343 South Union Street - PO Box 458 - Sparta Michigan 49345

Jeff Harper describes himself as a potato grower who farms out of a box.He's entirely portable – renting land, equipment and storage.

After 22 years at it, he says he must be successful to still be in business.As the business of raising potatoes in Idaho has become increasingly more difficult, Harper has carved out a niche for himself growing chipping potatoes."It started out that I came down here to work for a company selling fertilizer," he said."When the low times or hard times hit in the early 1980s there was a lot of ground available and I just kind of put a deal together and then built it up as I went along."

The land that Harper farms is intermixed with other properties west of Mountain Home.Last year he farmed 1,480 acres, with 1,100 of it potatoes.In addition to the chippers he grows, he raises Norkotah for the fresh market and Burbank and Shepody for the process market.But he really likes growing Atlantics for chipping.
...
Atlantics are great for areas with short growing seasons, and Harper says as they begin digging in July.The area is desolate, but isolated enough to provide little pests.But that doesn't necessarily mean without challenges, he points out. "You gotta make them highly desirable for making chips.And you've got specific gravity issues and fry color issues.They can be as tough as frozen potatoes for french fries," he said.

So if he rents his ground, equipment, storage and raises potatoes that have little disease and insect pressures, one might think Jeff Harper has no challenges ahead.But then we come back to the water issue being the limiting factor around Idaho.Perhaps, not in the same way as other growers like Steve Reynolds, who owns his property; but water issues still present themselves as a challenge for Harper.
...
Harper and Steve Reynolds farm side by side in Southwest Idaho.Their sons pal around together and they attend and facilitate grower meetings together.But both are quick to point out that they're not partners.

These two Idaho potato growers may not admit it, but they're pretty close to being partners.They're friendship is close and isn't mistaken for the "all business" relationship they'd like to present."Neighbors," is the resounding answer from both guys who raise potatoes in the small military town of Mountain Home.
...
Harper says he pretty much grew up around the Twin Falls area, where his father had a restaurant and his mother taught school.Not having a family legacy in farming hasn't hurt him a bit.Instead, he's passed the education legacy on from his mother, his wife and a son who teaches in California.Another son is a banker and finally, the youngest one is a part-time student and part-time, well, farmer.

"He won't admit it, but he's a farmer," Reynolds chimes in while the guys have a laugh."Only because he runs around with my son."Both are involved in the new agreement with Potato Growers of Idaho and the Southern Idaho Potato Co-op (SIPC).Not a formal agreement per se, members of the western Idaho bargaining group did agree to change the name so that any process growers in Idaho could join and get representation at the bargaining table.
...
Harper and Reynolds both are part of the original group that formed after contracts failed in 1996 and growers were left without contracts.
...
Harper is on the board of directors of the SIPC.With over 70% of the potatoes that go for processing being grown in the Pacific Northwest - including Idaho – he is adamant about growers knowing their bottom line and keeping contract prices at least at the cost of production.Volume is a big issue also for the organization and for Harper, who has helped set contract prices in the past.If the agreed upon volume is not met, Harper says processors make them "swing growers," and that's not a good situation for the next year's contracts. "A big issue to growers is contract volume and who gets it," Harper explained."And that's a big concern to the growers we represent right now.And that needs to change.We can't keep lowering contract prices to buy back contract volume."

Spudman Magazine - Great American Publishing343 South Union Street - PO Box 458 - Sparta Michigan 49345