- Arizona Farm Fills Reds Niche
- Winter produce propels the
success of Greer Farms
- By Karen Gentry
Managing Editor
- Chances are if you’re eating a Red LaSoda potato in the months of May, June or July, it came from Arizona’s Greer Farms.
At any given time during those months, Greer Farms capture 40-60% of the national market, according to Scott Gorczyca, plant manager and sales manager for the 3,000-acre operation in Tolleson, Ariz.
“Red LaSodas have done very well for us,” said Gorczyca. In a typical year 700-800 acres of potatoes are grown on Greer Farms on desert land west of Phoenix. Depending on land availability, upwards of 1,000 acres of potatoes can be grown, according to Gor- czyca.
“We’re pretty much the big guys in potatoes down here,” said Gor- czyca. He said after their potatoes are sold, buyers will turn to California potatoes and then Colorado and further north.
Their potatoes are dug, packed and shipped fresh with no storage needed. Greer Farms sells their potatoes through brokers and direct to some chain stores as well as to some repackers.
“We’ve got the sales force and the quality that people demand,” said Gorczyca.
On average during the potato harvest season, two to three rail cars and 10-15 of their own trucks from Greer Farms transport their produce. Gorczyca said they can accommodate up to 10 rail cars. Their 20,000-sq.-ft. packing facility can handle up to 50 tons of potatoes per hour, Gorczyca said.
Heat presents the biggest challenge of growing potatoes in Arizona. Although they must contend with an occasional freeze, all potatoes must be out of the ground by June 10, to avoid the intensity of the Arizona heat. However because of the heat there are virtually no pests, although they will spray for late blight, Gorczyca said.
Potato prices have been a continual problem and “one good year doesn’t offset three, four or five bad years in a row,” Gorczyca said.
Summers in Arizona are similar to winters in the Midwest - a time for maintenance and repairs, according to Gorczyca, a native of Jackson, Mich.
Greer Farms’ operation includes 50 full-time, year-round workers plus a mixture of local and migrant help. Gorczyca said that finding labor is never a problem in the area. “Workers know what’s in season and what’s not,” Gorczyca said. The vegetable portion of the business is the most labor intensive, he said
By the end of March workers at Greer Farms were finishing up with their mixed winter vegetable season. Green onions and head lettuce are their specialty although they grow everything from collards, parsley, green mustard and green tomatoes on 500-600 acres. Their vegetable season runs from mid-October until mid-June, Gorczyca said.
In the vegetable arena, Gorczyca noted that new seed varieties and hybrids continue to increase yields. “A lot of new hybrids increased yields more than people anticipated which led to a greater supply of product,” said Gorczyca.
Greer Farms, one of the largest vegetable growers in the Southwest, is actually down in acreage in from nearly 6,000 acres a couple of years ago. Some acreage was sold or leased, Gorczyca said.
Unless you have a niche, the bigger companies in agriculture and produce are the ones that are surviving, Gorczyca said. He noted that although prices are out of growers’ control, prices for labor, land, taxes and inputs keep rising.
Not necessarily bigger, but more diverse is the game plan for Greer Farms in the near future, according to Gorczyca.
“Diversity in this business is the key,” he said.
Although consumer marketing isn’t necessary for Greer Farms, they must constantly keep their name out to the people that matter. Gorczyca said they must continue to offer a quality product at a competitive price and provide excellent customer service.
Gorczyca estimates they work with 150-200 customers and work hard to keep these customers happy.
Greer Farms has been around for 30 years and is a sole proprietorship owned by Dudley Greer.
