Through the Eyes of a Farmer

Bryce Crawford, one of our growers, is a fourth generation potato farmer who has spent his entire life in the Klamath Basin. Having grown up experiencing the beauty of our area, he is extremely talented at capturing the moments that make a life in agriculture so photogenic. Even better, he posts his photos on Instagram so we can all see what goes on throughout the year on the farm!

"We're really busy a lot of the growing season," Bryce says, "so you have to really be intentional about taking the time to post pictures. But working from sun up to sun down and beyond, and being right in the fields instead of just driving by... you see things that maybe other people don't see, and it seems like people really enjoy looking at the things we [farmers] see all the time but usually don't take the time to capture in a picture. Plus, it's a fun way to communicate with other growers across the country about what we're up to."

And Bryce posts a lot more than photos of crops, tractors, and fields - he also captures everything from the family heritage of Bryce Crawford Farms... 

... to the fun little things in farm life (often featuring his adorable lab Macy helping out)...

... to beautiful images of the area and nearby surroundings on days off or during the offseason.

To see more of Bryce's awesome photos, follow him on Instagram @bcfarms54! Don't have Instagram? Get the app and create an account at instagram.com or view his photos online by clicking here.

Potato Harvest in Action

There's not much better than getting to see an entire year's worth of planning and labor come to fruition before your very eyes, and that is what our farmers get every year as thousands upon thousands of potatoes are moved from the dirt of the fields to our storage cellars. The process of potato harvest takes a lot of work but it's rewarding, fun to watch, and fun to share with others!

Here's how it works... 

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As a truck gets to the potato field being harvested, the driver lowers the left wall of the truck so the potatoes can go into the truck without being dropped from too high. 

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The tractor driver is always ready for the next truck to be filled. The equipment behind the tractor is called a bulker. Bulkers are extremely versatile - they dig potatoes, separate a lot of the vines and weeds out from the potatoes, and move the potatoes through a series of conveyor belts to what we call the boom, which lowers into the truck to load it with potatoes. 

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From behind, you can see the vines and weeds blowing out from the bulker as well as the truck getting loaded with freshly dug potatoes!

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The truck driver follows signals from the tractor driver to make sure the truck is filled as evenly as possible (which means more potatoes fit). 

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This truck's driver is about to put the side back up to continue filling up until it is completely full.

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As the truck gets near to being full, another truck drives up to get ready to keep the cycle of digging potatoes going! The full truck makes the drive back to the storage cellar. 

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Back at the cellar, a hatch in the back of the truck is raised. A conveyor belt at the bottom of the truck bed propels the potatoes out onto another conveyor belt. Workers like this gentleman carefully watch the harvested potatoes to make sure any damaged potatoes or vines are removed from the line. 

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Potatoes continue moving through the conveyor system to a protected sorting area. The pile of dirt and potatoes going off to the right is some of what is separated from the harvested potatoes so the crop is only our highest quality potatoes. 

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The potatoes continue on down the line... 

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... and finally make it up this piece of equipment called an elevator into our storage cellars. The potatoes will rest in this perfectly controlled environment until they are ready to be packaged at Cal-Ore Produce and can eventually make it to your table! 

Leave a comment below if you want to learn more about potato harvest - we would love to answer your questions!