Potatoes
From Field to Fork

Wisconsin Healthy Grown® 

Alsum Farms grows, nurtures and harvests potatoes on 3,000 acres of land that make their way to the dinner tables of Americans using the Wisconsin Healthy Grown® Program. This eco-friendly program has guided our farm sustainability practices for the last 25 years. As a founding member of the Healthy Grown® Program, Alsum Farms utilizes the Health Grown Program’s regenerative agriculture approach to farming that works to strengthen ecosystems and community resilience. Alsum Farms dedicates 50 acres and counting to prairie restoration and pollinator habitat to cultivate a sustainably grown food supply.

Cutting Potato Seed
Number One

Selecting Seed

The first step in growing quality potatoes starts with selecting certified seed potatoes that are then cut by seed cutting machines. Larry Alsum, Farmer, CEO & President of Alsum Farms & Produce carefully selects certified seed potatoes that grow best in Wisconsin’s sandy soil and climate.

Potato Seed
Number Two

Planting

We plant our certified seed potatoes in April after the last hard frost. Soil is carefully mounded around the seed potatoes in long rows to to help water reach the roots and to make it easier to harvest potatoes in the fall. Our farm operators use GPS technology to plant the seed which allows us to efficiently maximize our productivity and yield.

Growing Potatoes
Number Three

Growing

We carefully monitor soil moisture, humidity and sun exposure to make sure the plants are properly hydrated, but don’t become too wet — which could lead to the spread of disease.  Our crop scouts regularly walk the fields inspecting the plants for disease or pests. First a potato sprouts. In the second stage, vegetative growth — leaves/stems — emerge. During the third stage, tubers develop along the underground stolons. Stage four sees the tubers bulk up, near the end of summer.

Farmer Larry Alsum evaluates potato growth in a field at Alsum Farms in Arena, Wisconsin.

Harvesting Wisconsin Russets
Number Four

Harvesting

The above ground foliage begins to yellow, wither and die back — harvest time.

grading potatoes
Number Five

Cleaning and Inspection

We wash our potatoes three times — using recycled water at every stage except for the final rinse. Potatoes are inspected for quality, then sorted by size and variety.

packing potatoes
Number Six

Packing

We provide packages in a nearly limitless selection of grade, weight, variety, shape and size to meet the changing needs of consumers.

Potato storage in warehouse
Number Seven

Storage

Potatoes need to be stored in cool, dim areas — so we provide them with the perfect environmentally-controlled warehouse.

Delivering Alsum Potatoes
Number Eight

Delivery

To ensure the highest quality, our potatoes are transported and delivered in refrigerated trucks to your grocer’s distribution center or store.

Gold Potato Recipe
Number Nine

Consuming

Breakfast, lunch or dinner — enjoy our fresh potatoes. They’re gluten, fat and sodium free and have only 110 calories per serving. And are rich in potassium, fiber and vitamin C.

“In 1992 we began farming and by 1996 helped establish the Wisconsin Healthy Grown® Program. Since that time, the Healthy Grown program has continued to guide our farm sustainability practices utilizing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to efficiently manage inputs, implement conservation practices that enhance biological diversity, and ecosystem efforts by certifying under the Healthy Grown standards.”

Larry Alsum
Founding Member, Wisconsin Healthy Grown®