Working closely with MSU researchers and international business partners, such as Frito Lay Inc. and Better Made Snacks, the Michigan-based Sklarczyk Seed Farm has become a Michigan success story.
Currently operated by Don and Ben Sklarczyk and located in Otsego County, the Sklarczyk’s incorporated the seed farm in 1982 to produce and distribute high quality potato tubers. The family-owned company has since grown into a $6 billion corporation producing more than 75 percent of Frito-Lay’s potato needs. The farm also produces potato crop for Better Made Snacks as well as corn and soybeans for Jiffy products and other companies spanning the globe from Canada to Thailand.
In a recent visit, Michigan legislators, their staff, administrators from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Farm Bureau and Better Made Snacks toured the farm with MSU partners to learn about the logistical operations behind the farm’s success.
State Rep. Joel Johnson (R-Clare) was “impressed by the Sklarczyk operations” and said education about current practices and up-to-date research is essential in helping Michigan become an agricultural leader on both national and global scales.
The Sklarczyks attributed their success to their close relationship with MSU.
“Farming and agriculture [have] seen many changes, but the one thing that has not changed is the need for the potato industry to maintain a very strong alliance with MSU and tap into the research capacity it provides,” said Don Sklarczyk. “Without these researchers and the information they provide to the potato industry, we would not survive.”
The Sklarczyk farm is one of 85 Michigan growers in a state that ranks sixth in the nation for potato production. Even though Michigan does not produce the most potatoes, it is the largest producer of potatoes for potato chips and most of those are grown with Sklarczyk seed stock.
Some of the nation’s best potato researchers are found at MSU, including David Douches, 2011 Potato Research of the Year award-winner and director of the Potato Breeding and Genetics Program and William Kirk, who studies diseases that affect potatoes within the Potato Breeding and Genetics Program.
According to Mike Wenkel, executive director of the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, in 2011, Michigan potatoes reached a record value of $176 million. That figure has risen dramatically, nearly tripling since 1985 due to the concentration and consolidation of potato processing in Michigan and advancements developed and shared by MSU researchers in potato breeding, reproduction, growth and plant pathology.
The Sklarczyk farm provides a model for what is possible; they now produce in one year what it previously took a lifetime to grow.