In the Eyes of the (Potato) Beholder
When you ask Derek Davenport about farming, he paints a picture with so much detail it’s obvious he’s hooked: “There’s nothing like being up before the sun rises on a spring morning. When the sun starts to comes up, you see steam rolling off the freshly turned soil as the ground starts to warm for the day. You just can’t imagine anything more beautiful.”
But the stunning scenery is just part of what Derek loves about farming. It’s the people he works with and the knowledge he’s growing the best quality potatoes that make what he does feel less like a job and more like a hobby.
Brotherly Spuds
Brothers Kevin and Todd Thaemert both knew from a young age they wanted to be farmers. “I think watching all of the hard work our dad put into the farm, and seeing the results from his work at the end of every year was really an inspiration for us,” says Kevin.
In their early 20’s – in 1994 – the brothers joined their dad and started Thaemert Farms. And simple as it sounds, their favorite part about being farmers is being out in the field, growing the crops. Todd explains, “there really is something about seeing the results of a crop you grow go from just the ground to a finished product that people enjoy.”