Michael Family Farms increases acreage

Michael Family Farms, Urbana, Ohio, has increased its potato acreage by 35% in 2021 compared with 2020, said Kathy Michael Sponheim, co-owner and sales, marketing and administration.

The company also is building a new wash and storage facility, she said.

Michael Family Farms ships potatoes year-round with peak availability out of the field in the fall, she said.

“Minus a quick snow during planting, conditions have been pretty favorable,” Michael Sponheim said. 

Last year, the company was able to manage pandemic disruptions in good shape, she said.

The company diligently worked to keep its retail customers shelves stocked so the decline in foodservice was able to be redirected.

Efforts this year, she said, will include reconnecting with foodservice customers while retaining and expanding relationships with retail customers.

“I think it will take a couple years to shift eating patterns between home and away from home,” she said, adding that a full rebound that includes major event, catering and entertainment foodservice business will take time.

Michael Family Farms markets to wholesalers, retailers and foodservice distributors, she said.

“Meeting consumer demands for locally grown produce has bolstered our marketing efforts to connect with them and support our local supply chain,” she said.

Retailers can best promote Ohio potatoes by ideal department placement and by effectively communicating the grower’s story to end consumers, she said. 

Marketing efforts have turned more to digital.

“Staying in tune with consumer trends has influenced our marketing to a bigger digital presence over the past five years,” she said.

“Reaching Gen Z and finding out how to connect with them will be a new challenge.”

Michael Family Farms uses social media and QR codes on packaging to communicate with consumers.

Labor 

Labor, the biggest long-term issue for Ohio farms, is inadequate supply for Michael Family Farms most of the time, but can run short for seasonal labor demands, Michael Sponheim said.

Labor-saving technology introduced in the past five years includes GPS and precision farming technology, she said.

“From in the tractor to checking irrigation pivots, being able to utilize your smart phone to monitor and manage your farm is a big-time savings,” she said.

Michael Sponheim, a fourth-generation farmer, is optimistic about the future.

“Getting to work with my family to feed our neighbors is the most rewarding work,” she said. “If we can produce a healthy, affordable food I am optimistic we can grow the operation, so a fifth generation has an opportunity to farm too.”