| World War I determined the future for the
Stauntons. Grandpa Web earned 85 acres in northern California
for his tour of duty during the war. “The West was so
undeveloped at the time, it was really an unknown,” says Ed
Staunton, Klamath Basin Farmer. Almost a century later, the
Staunton farm could sell for an estimated $2,500 an acre, but
the Staunton brothers aren’t going anywhere and they have
their father, John, to thank for that. Ed says, “This is the
first spring [Dad] hasn’t been on a tractor. He is the main
reason us three boys came back and became successful. He gave
us the opportunity to learn and then he gave us the
opportunity to take over.” Now the brothers have frost to
fight, flood waters to forge and crops of varying kind to care
for. Sid says, “The most exciting thing to me about farming is
simplicity. It’s just a great example of creation. You put in
seeds, the plants grow and then you have food in three months.
It just marvels me every year.”
Farm Freeze
The Staunton brothers, Marshall, Sid and Ed, are third
generation farmers in Tulelake, Calif. They farm 5,000 acres
in the Klamath Basin near the California-Oregon border. “It’s
high desert. We can see Mt. Shasta sticking out like a sore
thumb, but it’s absolutely gorgeous,” says Ed. Marshall grows
the onions, Sid and Ed split the potatoes and they all share
in growing peppermint, wheat, barley, alfalfa and horseradish.
Ed says, “Diversification is important for us. We always try
new things.” Diversification is key in a location that works
for and against them. It works against them weather wise
because they farm in a high-risk area for frost. Pipelines,
rather than pivots, snake through the rows of Russets and
specialty varieties. “We’re more frost sensitive than any
region in the continental United States. We can get 10-15
frosts a year,” says Ed. “On cold nights, at about 33 degrees,
we’ll crank on all the irrigation systems and they will
protect the potatoes from freezing. It’s expensive, but it is
the only way you can beat the frost and burn factor. Pivots
can’t stay ahead of the frost.” The expense is worth it
because of Klamath’s claim on rich soil. Sid says, “We get
better yields in fewer days than any other place in the
country. It’s pretty remarkable in this basin. A lot of
600-sack crops come out of this area.” Location also makes the
frost-prone farm prime property. “The reason potatoes are
still in the Klamath basin is quality and accessibility,” says
Sid. The brothers own and pack their potatoes through Cal-Ore
Produce. It is the largest shipper in California and ships
year-round. “Our niche is our location. We’re on the top of
the most populated state and we’re the closest Russet shipper.
That’s an advantage. San Francisco can call and in seven hours
our load is shipped and there. No one else can do that when it
comes to fresh.”
Farm Flood
A flood on top of all the frost sounds defeating, but
flooding in the Klamath Basin is making waves in a positive
way. Walking wetlands, as they are called, are created when
farmland is put under less than a foot of water for two to
three years. “It doesn’t fit every area. You can’t go to some
areas of Washington or Idaho and flood the sand, but it could
definitely work for other areas,” says Ed. “It is a win-win
situation. The wildlife loves it because there are instant
wetlands rich in food and habitat. Farmers love it because it
rejuvenates the farm ground.” The waterlogged federal lease
land goes out to bid at the end of the flood stage and the
highest bidder plants on the chemical-free ground with the
condition of growing some grain for wildlife. A
nematode-infested plot went under water 10 years ago. The
Stauntons won the first bid to farm it. “We jumped in there.
It was a heck of risk, but we said, ‘Lets go for it.’ We
planted and didn’t use fumigants and had no damage at all. It
was amazing,” says Sid. Swamping land for a time is so popular
with the Stauntons, they are now trying it on 90 of their own
acres. Ed says, “The highest price for rent is now on those
leased lands and it’s getting so competitive. We want to
continue going [underwater] and not be shut out so we put the
process in place on our private land. You’re getting around
500 sacks of Russets before flooding, then you flood and it
jumps up to more than 600 sacks. Flooding is raising yields by
about 20 percent so the potential is there.”
Farm Friendly
They’re raising yields, but only to a certain extent. The
Stauntons have been and are still active with many potato
organizations. Ed recently served on the executive committee
for the U.S. Potato Board (USPB). “I am truly amazed at what
the Potato Board does with so little resources,” says Ed. “The
staff is incredible.” Now Ed is the California board
representative for the National Potato Council and Sid is
serving on the USPB domestic marketing committee. They’re also
one of the first farming families from the Klamath Basin to
toot the United co-op horn. Ed says, “We’ve learned we’ve got
to balance supply with demand so the prices come up. We can
never take our eye off the ball of matching supply with demand
and we can’t grow more potatoes and hope other growing regions
have a weather disaster.” Ed also says the wave of effort to
change mindsets is working and United Potato Growers is proof
of that. “What we’ve learned from this whole co-op experience
is, working together as an industry is a collective effort,”
says Ed. “All growing regions need to realize the value of
United and join the co-op. With the Capper-Volsted Act,
members of the co-op can legally share information that can
help increase returns for potatoes. Information is knowledge.”
Sid echoes his brother’s sentiment. “It just got to be such a
blood bath about a decade ago. We lost so many neighbors it
felt like we were living in a little ghost town down here. Now
this basin, agriculturally, is on an economic upturn,” says
Sid. “The industry is putting away the hatchet and saying, ‘I
hope you do well and I hope you do well.’ If we all over
deliver, we’re all going to pay.” The co-op idea is refreshing
for the Stauntons. They see it as a source of stability and in
farming that’s hard to come by. Ed says, “We all got to the
point of saying, ‘Why is it wrong to get along with the guys
in Idaho, Washington, or anywhere else?’ Now I’m excited about
the potato industry. I think the next few years will be
profitable. That’s key and that is what we are all working
for.”
(Editor's note: Kris Millgate is a freelance writer based
in Idaho Falls, Idaho.) |
