Tons of Taters

“You can take pride in being an Idaho potato farmer.”

Justin Wootan, Idaho potato farmer

Potatoes are big business in Idaho. The state produces more potatoes than any other state in the nation, about 11 billion pounds each year. That’s a lot a potatoes—enough to fill 500 NFL football fields. Since Idaho doesn’t have hundreds of NFL football fields lying around, it turns to potato cellars to do the job. And that’s where towns like Glenns Ferry come in. This small town of 1,600 people is home two potato cellars, which store 1.75 million pounds of potatoes. The potatoes are coddled until they go to market, sometimes months later. Oxygen is pumped in through ventilation pipes and temperature sensors keep the potatoes cooled. When the time is right, the potatoes are sent on their way: some destined to become potato chips, others french fries, and still others fresh spuds. Myself, I like my potatoes fried with onions and green peppers. Yum. 

Tater Trivia:

·        First potato planted in Idaho: 1837. Idaho did not become a state until 1890.

·        Biggest potato grower in the world: China, of course.

·        Most extreme location to grow potatoes: Outer space. In 1995, potatoes were the first food to be grown in space.

·        World’s biggest potato: 24.9 pounds in Lebanon. That comes out to around 100 orders of fries.

·        First french fries served: White House dinner hosted by Thomas Jefferson in 1802. At that time the dish was called “potatoes served in the French manner.” Yeah, I can see why it was shortened to "french fries."

Watch the video clip ® Millions of potatoes stored in small Idaho town

Building on Quality of Life

“If you had a $20 bill and didn’t want to go to the bar,

you’d be hard pressed to spend it in Taylor.”

Chuck Cone, Mayor of Burwell

Burwell, Garfield County growing

Town Grows Whopping 60% but Keeps Small Town Feel

CDA Press · Jennifer Elliott took a break from her walk along the Centennial Trail on Friday to ponder Post Falls’ [Idaho] growth during the past decade. She was “astounded” the city—her “happy medium” hometown between Spokane and Coeur d’Alene—grew 60 percent to 27,574 people in 2010, according to the Idaho Labor Department.

Read More ® Growing, growing, but small-town feel not gone

Location, Location, Location: Lakeside Town Grows

The Independent · Garfield County is one of the few rural counties in Nebraska that saw growth in the past 10 years, according to data recently released from the U.S. Census Bureau. After decades of population decline, the census data shows that Garfield County’s population increased to 2,049, up 7.7 percent from 10 years ago. The county’s only city, Burwell, grew by 7.1 percent.

Read More ® Burwell, Garfield County growing

Traditions Alive and Well in Tiny Town

Globe Gazette · Is it the ribs and chicken at Mitchell's restaurant? Or the possibility of actor Kevin Costner returning for another musical gig at the Ambroson barn? Something helped push Leland’s [Iowa] population from 258 to 289 over the past decade.

Read More ® Backroads North Iowa: Small-town traditions alive, well in Leland