Skyline Potato

Skyline Potato in San Luis Valley, CO
Established in 1991 Skyline Potato is a potato shipper in Center, Colorado.  Founded in 1991, Skyline Potato has since become a major player in the Colorado fresh potato industry.  Offering both conventional and organic product lines, their warehouse runs 1.5 million hundredweight of potatoes a year! Skyline potato has three facilities in the San Luis Valley, including Skyline Potato, Horizon Potato and Purely Organic.  Purely Organic was the first entirely organic packing facility in the San Luis Valley region! Leading the Way Les Alderete is the General Manager at Skyline... Read More

New Nutrition Label

FDA Announces New Nutrition Label On May 20, 2016, the United States Food and Drug Administration announced that there will be a new Nutrition Facts label for food products nationwide.  This move to help consumers make more informed decisions about the foods that they purchase and use. First Lady Michelle Obama commented that, “this is going to make a real difference in providing families across the country the information they need to make healthy choices.”  Food manufacturers with annual food sales of $10 and above will have until July 26,... Read More

Mix Farms

Roger Mix & Family
Three Generations of Farming The Mix family has farmed potatoes and malt barley for three generations.  Mix Farms started with 120 acres, 60 in potatoes and 60 in barley.  Since then, the farm has grown substantially.  They now farm a combined 800 acres, and produce an average potato yield of 350 cwt of yellow potatoes and 450-475 cwt of Russet potatoes.  Mix Farms continues to grow Coors malt barley, and at times green manure.  Mix Farms is also a Certified Potato Seed Grower.  Roger enjoys all aspects of the potato... Read More

Potatoes Contribute $596M to Colorado’s Economy!

Colorado Benefits Greatly from Potato Production Informa Economics recently did a study to determine the economic impact of the Colorado potato complex.  What they found was truly astonishing.  In 2014, the potato industry added $596 million to the state economy through a combined business sales output of $1.17 billion and 3,992 jobs!  The potato industry makes up 10% of Colorado’s agricultural and food processing economy. The Potato Industry Creates Many Colorado Jobs The potato industry in Colorado affects much more than the farmers who produce them.  Many indirectly benefit from potato... Read More

Cutting Potato Seed: The first step on the road to delicious potatoes!

How do you grow the perfect potato? You start with the perfect seed of course!    Every successful potato harvest begins much earlier in the year with planting.  Before delicious Colorado potatoes can make it to your plate, they are first grown with the absolute greatest of care by our Colorado growers.   While springtime may evoke images of spring flowers and warmer weather for you, for our hard working Colorado growers, springtime means  getting potato seed in the ground so it’s ready for harvest in the fall. Not Your Average Seed... Read More

Colorado Potato Fun Facts

Colorado Potato Fun Facts Colorado is the second largest fresh potato growing region in the entire United States! There are over 70 unique varieties of Colorado potatoes! Many Colorado potatoes are grown in the San Luis Valley which is the largest alpine valley on Earth!  This valley sits at 7,600 feet above sea level-which is almost a mile and a half! Many Colorado potatoes are also grown around Greeley, which is near the Denver area! 50,000 to 65,000 acres of potatoes are planted in Colorado each year! That’s around 78... Read More

Durango School District Receives Salad Bar Donations

Durango Receives Nine Salad Bars The Durango School District 9-R was the recipient of nine salad bars as part of the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative.  Between the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee and Potatoes USA, all nine of the salad bars that the district needed were donated.  Students and staff alike were excited about the new salad bars and the new lunchtime opportunities they provide. Students Love Their New Salad Bar Linda Weyers and Savannah Schlaufman traveled to Florida Mesa Elementary School in Durango where one of the brand... Read More

“Raising the Bar” at Sanford

Sanford is third SLV school to receive a salad bar As a part of the US Potato Board’s Salad Bar Challenge, Sanford School in Sanford, CO newly received two salad bars for their cafeteria.  The school received both a regular size salad bar and a smaller size salad bar for elementary students.  The Sanford food service staff was thrilled to receive the donation.  Having two sizes of salad bar provided them with the opportunity to better serve students of all ages at the school.   The small salad bar is easier... Read More

Mountain Valley School Receives Salad Bar

Raising the Bar in Saguache Mountain Valley recently became the second San Luis Valley school to receive a salad bar as a part of the US Potato Board’s Salad Bar Challenge.  The new potato bar placed in Mountain Valley is part of an ongoing effort by the US Potato Board and the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee to support healthy eating in schools.  Having healthy options at lunch time can help students develop healthy habits early on. Committed to the Cause The ultimate goal of the program is to increase children’s access... Read More

Tyler Mitchell

Tyler Mitchell With Kids In San Luis Valley
A Family Affair The Mitchell family has been farming together in the San Luis Valley since the late 1930’s.  Tyler’s grandfather started the farm with his uncle and was later joined by Tyler’s Dad. Today Mike is semi-retired and Tyler and his brother Clay do most of the heavy lifting with help from their uncle Ron Crowther.  It’s all hands on deck for planting and harvest, Clay does most of the book-keeping and Tyler manages equipment maintenance on the 1780 acre farm. Leaning Forward Tyler and Clay Mitchell are continually... Read More