What Enterprise is Sustainable for Me?

Potato

To evaluate how well this enterprise aligns with your farm's agronomic, marketing, financial and management resources, answer these five questions. Then, calculate your score.

Using a scale from 0 to 100, scores indicate your farm's likely success with an enterprise.

The icons link to resources you can use to answer these questions.

QUESTIONS
HELP ME ANSWER THIS
1. In a potato field, soil characteristics can significantly influence potato growth, development and yields. Have you identified a growing site that has loose, deep soil with proper drainage, aeration, pH and water infiltration?

Yes
No


2. Potato cultivar options are diverse. They range from russet types that are ideal for chipping and frying to specialty cultivars with varying skin and flesh colors. Have you identified a viable market for the specific potato cultivars that you plan to grow?

Yes
No


3. If storing potatoes for an extended period, then do you have a facility that creates an optimal storage environment (38 degrees F to 65 degrees F and 85 percent to 95 percent humidity) and are you willing to treat stored potatoes with a sprout inhibitor if necessary to further extend their storage life?

Yes
No


4. Do you have the opportunity to source certified potato seed pieces that are disease-free and offer resistance to harmful diseases such as potato scab?

Yes
No


5. Depending on your operation's size, do you have a sufficient labor force to harvest potatoes, or do you have access to a mechanical harvester?

Yes
No


Your ResultsX
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Respond to the questions for an enterprise. Each question touches on a key factor that affects an enterprise's sustainability on your farm.
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Icons to the side of questions direct to other decision tools that share detailed information about a question's topic.
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After completing all questions for an enterprise, calculate your score. A pop-up page will share your results. Scores closer to 100 suggest the enterprise would align well with your farm. Scores closer to 0 suggest the enterprise would not fit as well, based on your responses to the questions.