Aspen Produce maintains strong 12-month program
Aspen Produce maintains strong 12-month program
CENTER, CO — Mid-August saw Aspen Produce in Center, CO, winding down on its shipments of 2013 spuds and preparing for the new crop that Jed Ellithorpe, operations manager for Ellithorpe & Son growing arm of the company, said was expected to start in late August.
“There will be no gaps in supplies,” Ellithorpe said, noting that dig testing used on the farm provides growers with a good indication of tuber readiness.
“We started our extensive testing on Aug. 1, and the first dig indicated we were slightly ahead of last year. On Aug. 8 the dig didn’t show typical bulking, but a good week of sunshine brings us back to where we should be.”
The slowdown resulted from monsoon rain patterns that brought welcome moisture to the San Luis Valley this summer, he said.
Ellithorpe & Son Operations Manager Jed Ellithorpe and Sales Agent Troy Plane look forward to onset of 2014 San Luis Valley potato season. (Photo by Kathleen Thomas Gaspar)
“We monitor the fields until it’s time to kill the vines. The main goal is not to have overly large potatoes but to keep them at a uniform size,” Ellithorpe said.
Running mostly russet varieties — “Rio Grandes, Canelas, Mesas, a few Classics and a few Norkotahs — Aspen Produce will also have limited reds and yellows this season. All varieties are available in consumer packs, and russets are also shipped bulk.
Ellithorpe said he’s seen an uptick in retail demand, adding, “Mexican exports is in essence retail, and that’s where much of the demand has increased.” The 26-kilometer buffer area accounts for 15-20 percent of Aspen sales, he said.
The border situation has made Mexico “a little riskier game,” but movement is still brisk, Ellithorpe said.
As the operation transitioned from 2013 to 2014 spuds, work was done to “increase efficiency” in every department. New to the staff this season is Troy Plane, who comes with longtime retail experience.
“Troy will be helping in transportation, sales and food safety,” Ellithorpe said. Plane noted that Aspen’s packingshed and farms are certified USDA Harmonized GlobalGAP, and the shed is Primus GFS.
Ellithorpe said he holds a positive outlook for the upcoming shipping season.
“I don’t get any sense of panic that there will be too many potatoes,” he said. “Farmers planted those potatoes with the hope someone would get to eat them, and everyone is trying really hard that happens.”
He continued, “We cannot increase fresh demand for potatoes unless we have the supplies to sell.”
