Some people may be surprised to know that potatoes can grow in the desert, but in Rupert, Idaho, potatoes are thriving on Grant 4-D Farms. The desert climate helps to control the irrigation pattern with heat during the summer days and cool nights creating a high-quality potato crop.

It’s harvesting season on the farm which means a harvester is out in the field picking up potatoes to bring them through cleaning equipment to where the potatoes are then stored as long as the customer wants. It’s a busy time of year on the farm where 14-hour workdays are standard, but those long hours are what allow the farm to grow 10,000 acres of potatoes annually.

Grant 4-D Farms utilizes solar panels to generate power and offset the power on pumps. Tillage practices are evolving to perfect the process. These practices and more are what will make it a great farm for generations to come.

Grant and his father currently manage the farm together. It all started in 1958 when Grant’s grandfather entered a drawing to win a free farm. A humble cinderblock cabin was where Grant’s grandparents lived in the early days of the farm. The catch to the drawing was that the farm had to turn a profit in three years. Now, under the management of the father/son duo, the farm has seen 15% growth year over year. Ownership is all in the family, but the farm did implement a board of directors that is made up of six volunteers and only one member of the Grant family. In 2013 Grant asked his wife if she would rather continue living in Seattle or move back to the farm and the rest is history. Now, they have two young children and their motorcycles to keep them entertained.