Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Jorgensen Farms Bancroft, Idaho Harvest 2010

Jorgensen Farms 2010 Potato Harvest

The annual Idaho Potato Harvest takes place in September and October each year.

Since I'm a truck driver my perspective is different than the other workers who do different things.

I would like this opportunity to thank Carl, Keith and Brian Jorgensen for allowing me to drive truck for the past three years and I look forward to more!

The harvest begins with either four or six row diggers which place dug up potatoes in between other rows which the harvester comes along and digs more potatoes along with what the diggers placed between the other rows. Typically the harvester is picking up 10 rows of potatoes each pass.

Then the harvester places the potatoes in Ten wheeler trucks which transport the potatoes to the cellars where they are unloaded.

The potatoes travel from the pups into the accumulator bin and a steady flow of potatoes are cleaned over a bed of rollers, and people along the conveyor are also removing excess dirt, grass and other debris before the potatoes reach the cellar. Some potatoes are directly loaded onto semi trailers and are transported to other farms or for retail. The potatoes are stored in the cellars until planting time when they are removed and shipped to other farms for their planting. Most the potatoes in Grace are certified see potatoes which are for other farms to use to plant in other areas such as Burley, Twin Falls, and a host of other places.

This is what the Harvest is all about, Idaho Potatoes

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Distant view of Jorgensen Farms Cellars from Potato Field

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Harvester turning after finishing rows of potatoes

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Typical potato field during harvest

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Center Pivot Sprinkler system in field

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Spudnik Harvester loading a Peterbilt 10 Wheeler

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