Potato Harvest: A Break For Students, Not for Farmers
Wilcox Potatoes’ cellar in Burton.
by Sadie Kerbs
Harvest break is always a fun time for students, but what is it like for the people the break is actually for?
“Harvest is chaotic because there is a lot of moving parts,” Coley Luce said.
Luce is the Farm Data Analyst for Wilcox Potatoes and experiences first-hand the chaos. Farm Manager Heidi McCoy has a similar opinion about harvest.
“It is a fast-paced, busy time and a lot of work to do in a short amount of time, but very rewarding when it’s done,” McCoy said.
One of the most stressful parts of the harvest for them is trying to find employees.
“Over the years it has been more difficult to find people to work. There’s just not a lot of people who are willing to work in agriculture,” Vice President of Administration Nicole Kerbs said.
Because the agriculture industry isn’t getting as much help as they need, they have to bring in help from other places.
“We have to hire people from other countries to come work in agriculture because there are not enough people who are willing, able, and qualified to work,” Kerbs said.
Good employees are a must during harvest. Farmers gamble the whole year’s work on a few weeks.
“The success of the business all comes down to how harvest goes. A farmer’s livelihood depends on the quality of harvest,” Kerbs said.
