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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 31 N OV E M B E R 3 , 2 0 2 5 F O C U S FA M I LY OW N E D B U S I N E S S "It's a clonal variant that we discovered on our farm in 2001," he explains. Originating from the popular and ubiquitous Yukon Gold, Prairie Blush is a moister eating potato and sets more tubers than its parent. Demand for Prairie Blush is high among Wood Prairie Family Farm's customers. "It's nice reinforcement," says Gerritsen of the steady customer demand, adding that the farm is proba- bly the only farm growing that particular specialty potato at a large scale. Another essential part of planning and making a profit is the proper crop rotation. Wood Prairie Family Farm employs a four-year rotation, utilizing clover and timothy to help build soil fertility. e end of the rotation is time to plant a combina- tion of buckwheat and rapeseed, a brassica that helps bio fumigate the soil and prevent disease. In years past, the University of Maine has conducted research on Gerritsen's farm — and other farms — to test the effectiveness of using brassicas for this purpose. Only on the fifth year does a particular piece of ground return to potatoes. Wood Prairie Family Farm follows the concept long touted by organic producers — feed the soil and the soil will feed the crop. Yukon Gold, a widely grown potato with yellow flesh, is the farm's best seller, according to Jim Gerritsen. While he acknowledges the variety's good points, he also thinks that con- sumers sometimes follow habits — they buy the variety they are used to, much how many consumers buy Red Delicious apples because that was the industry standard for so many years in North America. Gerritsen sees the farm continuing as a family-farm-based business. "We're reaching for an improved economy of scale for the mail order internet seed business world we entered into 35 years ago," he says. "Whether we print one catalog or 1 million catalogs, it takes the same amount of creative effort. e amount of paper and ink is the only thing that changes as you grow larger." By John O'Meara, a freelance writer, can be reached at editorial @ mainebiz.biz KatahdinTrust.com Find one of our 16 banking locations: "We were looking at a few different banks in the area and Katahdin was the best t for us. They're a local bank, decisions are made locally. But they were big enough to be able to do some of the programs we needed to get into. They were very helpful. I make chips, I'm not a nancial guy." Rhett Fox Creator, Fox Family Chips Partner, Trinity Chips LLC Katahdin Trust Customer Your Business Banking Partner CONTACT US RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL SERVICES Solar Electric EV Chargers Battery Back-up Systems Electrical Service Upgrades Heat Pump/HVAC Solutions Heat Pump Water Heaters Plumbing Services Indoor Air Quality 207-218-1411 www.logixmaine.com Logix, LLC , 18 Searsport Ave , Belfast, ME 04915 Proudly Serving Maine Since 2015 Caleb Gerritsen of Wood Prairie Family Farm. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F C A L E B G E R R I T S E N We're reaching for an improved economy of scale for the mail order internet seed business world we entered into 35 years ago. — Jim Gerritsen Wood Prairie Family Farm

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