The average American eats 100-pounds of potatoes a year.
So there’s always demand for healthy seed potatoes.
In this week’s Montana Moment, Kevin Maki from NBC Montana visited a certified seed potato farm in Twin Bridges, where Laci and Scott Holbrook supply seed stock for commercial growers and home gardeners.
As many as one-million plants stretch out over 70-acres at Holbrook Seed Potatoes.
On the day we visited the farm, the plants were in full bloom, splashed with color, from the deep green of the leaves, to fragrant , multi-colored blossoms, from white, to purple and pink.
The seed potato operation, located in the Ruby Valley in southwestern Montana, is breathtaking. Both the Holbrooks share deep, family roots in agriculture.
The couple pointed out a few of the 31 varieties on their farm.
“Our Russet burbank potatoes are probably our biggest lot,” said Laci. “It’s about nine acres and this seed will go to other Montana certified seed growers.”
“This one is a Yukon Gem,” she said. “Then we have a Payette, which is a new russet, and we have four or five different chip varieties.”
Scott gently shoveled into the ground so Laci could pull out one of the most popular red potatoes – the Red Pontiacs
Read Kevin Maki’s extensivel report on NBC Montana’s website here, and view 13 fotos of the operation.
