Agronomist. Plant breeder. Farmer. Writer. Philanthropist. Mentor. Potato ambassador. Leader.
Dr. Charles (Charlie) Higgins has been doing all those things for the better part of the past 50 years. He’s become so well-known through the industry, simply saying, “Charlie,” during a conversation is usually enough to establish Higgins as the person being referenced.
A New Chapter Begins
While Higgins’ contributions to the potato industry aren’t done yet, his time farming potatoes and running businesses is just about over. That included overseeing Higgins Farms Inc. in the San Luis Valley, and Norika America LLC, a North American-based distributor of German potato breeder Norika’s varieties.
“I sold my property; I’m just farming grandkids now,” Higgins said, with a chuckle.
He is looking forward to spending more time with family and working on Ethiopian Food Project he founded with his wife and grower friends.
A Trusted Industry Resource
“He’s an unassuming treasure trove of knowledge,” Potatoes USA Director of Research John Lundeen said of Higgins. “When you pick up the phone and call Charlie, you’re going to learn something.”
As a longtime consultant to Potatoes USA on potato variety trials, Higgins has worked closely with Lundeen on numerous projects over the years. In fact, Lundeen said one of his first road trips on the job when he joined Potatoes USA five years ago was to Navajo Mesa Farms near the Colorado-New Mexico border. No matter the subject, Lundeen knows he can call Charlie.
“I mean, he’s just Charlie. He doesn’t brag about himself or his knowledge base,” Lundeen said, “but if you go to him and say, ‘Charlie, tell me how seed multiplication works. Charlie, tell me about this disease. Charlie, tell me about the defects in this potato. Charlie, tells me who the players are in the industry? Charlie, what’s the history of the chip trial system?’
“He’s always been a go-to (resource) about everything in the industry.”
Career Highlights and Global Impact
Higgins’ story is too grand to give all aspects their due justice. In addition to owning and operating Higgins Farms with his daughter and son-in-law, some other key roles and accomplishments include:
- Academic Excellence: Higgins earned a Ph.D. in plant breeding and seed production from Colorado State University in 1981.
- Peace Corps and Philanthropy: From 1969 to 1971, Charlie and his wife, Judy, served as Peace Corps Volunteers in Ethiopia. It was there Higgins saw firsthand the famine and struggle to procure food that became a global story during the 1980s, resulting in the pop music phenomenon, “We Are the World.” Higgins’ Peace Corps experience laid the foundation for his later work in helping to establish and manage the Ethiopian Sustainable Food Project in the early 2000s. This continues to supply Ethiopian farmers with disease-free potato seed of improved varieties.
- National Chip Program: He has served as a technical consultant and advocate for the National Chip Program (NCP) since 2007. Higgins has been instrumental in growing the NCP, said Alyssa Green, who works with Lundeen at Potatoes USA. His efforts include presenting at multiple conferences every year, traveling to visit growers, and making countless calls and connections to get varieties into production. “He’s a logistics whiz,” Green said.
- Early Contributions: Early in his career, Higgins served as an agronomist for the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico for 11 years. He worked with a team to develop the 70,000-acre irrigation project.
- International Consultancy: Higgins has done extensive agronomic consulting work during his career, including for Frito Lay International in Mexico, Thailand, China, Australia, and Venezuela. Also, he consulted with many potato chip growers including Heartland Farms, Walther Farms, and others.
- Norika America LLC: Charlie served as agent for Norika, a German potato breeding company, and for Irish Potato Breeders. For Norika varieties, when Higgins began managing in 1994, it was a $4,000-a-year endeavor. Under Higgins’ watch, sales grew over the years, and he and Norika created a co-owned LLC called Norika America in 2007. By 2023, it had grown into more than $750,000-a-year business.
Industry Perspectives on Higgins’ Contributions
While Higgins’ home base was the San Luis Valley of Colorado, his work with Norika and Potatoes USA’s chip trials allowed him to work closely with seed growers throughout North America, from Maine’s Aroostook County to Washington state. Some of those farms are now being run by grandchildren of his original partners.
“I see Charlie as like the grandfather of the potato industry,” said Jason Walther, leader of Walther Farms, a multi-state operation based in Michigan. Walther Farms is a major producer of chip and table stock potatoes that Higgins has served in consultation.
“Charlie’s knowledge of every facet of the industry is incredible – agronomy, physiology, pathology, logistics, equipment, storage, handling, economics, and even the human leadership aspect of it,” Walther said. “There aren’t many people with such a comprehensive view.”
Higgins added, “No one is an independent expert in all things potato. I have been privileged to work with the best potato pathologists, potato breeders and physiologists in the world.”
Future of Norika America
Taking over Higgins’ role for Norika America LLC will be Chris Long, the longtime head of the Potato Outreach Program at Michigan State University. The potato industry has benefited greatly from Charlie Higgins’ leadership, passion, and hard work, Long said.
“Charlie will still be plenty involved in consulting,” Long added. “I’ve always valued partnerships and relationships with the growers. Ultimately, my goal has always been and will continue to be to make them more profitable.”
Among Long’s goals will be to elevate the Norika brand, as well as add to its digital assets, like online databases and website development.
Chris Long can be reached at chris@norikaamerica.com and 517-275-1649.
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