OUR BOUNTIFUL
FIELDS
Explore Our Rich Tapestry
Not every potato is destined for the fryer. Crafting the perfect chip requires a special spud – one that delivers the ideal blend of texture and flavor, resulting in those coveted crispy, golden delights.
Chipping Potatoes Excellence
Developing our Best
Chipping potatoes, tailored for the art of chip-making, distinguish themselves with a rounder shape, easily rubbed-off light skin, and optimal sugar levels. This unique composition yields crispy, golden chips—a stark contrast to the tougher-skinned and higher-sugar content varieties you find at grocery stores, like Russetts or Yukon Gold. Our investment in packing shed systems minimizes potential damage, ensuring quality chips for consumers.
As a family owned and operated business, we farm around 15,000 acres of chipping potatoes. Additionally, our partner growers farm an additional 30,000 acres dedicated to our chip production. Our decades of experience in potato farming and focus on varieties ideal for chip-making allows us to consistently provide high quality chips. The care we put into harvesting and storage protects the integrity of our potatoes from farm to bag.
As shoppers become more conscious of how their food gets to the market, producers and consumers alike are turning to organic foods and crops. With that in mind, Gold Dust and Walker Brothers have been putting up organic hay and wheat to not only get a foothold in the organic market, but to also increase the production of the ground when it goes from an organic crop to chipping potatoes.
Shoppers Guild
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Hay crops such as alfalfa are notorious for adding nitrogen to soil, which makes them perfect for following a potato crop in a field. When that same crop is raised organically, with organic fertilizers, not only do you get the benefit of what the hay crop does for the ground the soil also gets a boost in organic material that conventional fertilizers simply cannot add. As a result, when that field is then planted with chipping potatoes, we’re using less fertilizer which cuts down on the costs to our bottom line.
Field Management
However, the benefits of organic farming go beyond just our bottom-line and profits. When you take into the consideration additional benefits to the environment, such as cleaner water, less chemicals going into the soil and less harm to wildlife, organic farming becomes the perfect example of sustainable agriculture.
Growing For The Future
Organic farming is more than trend – our organic crops help the soil and help us remain competitive in an ever-changing marketplace.
Organic Crops
Though Gold Dust and Walker Brothers still farm conventionally, we’re always looking to find ways to make less of an impact on the environment. Organic farming allows us to do just that.
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Other Potato Resources
National Potato
Board
As the national marketing arm of the US potato industry, the National Potato Board works to drum up interest and demand for potatoes and potato-based products.
Potato Info
Exchange
Operated by Oregon State University, PIE is an overwhelming resource concerning all things potato. Along with potato information from OSU, PIE also has hundreds of links to information about potatoes and potato farming.
National Potato
Council
Established to address growers' concerns in legislative arenas, the National Potato Council (NPC) advocates for potato farmers on diverse issues, including the environment, regulations, and trade.
Potato Pro
News
PotatoPro delivers news and insights to the potato processing industry. For information on french fries, dehydrated potatoes, potato starch, chips, and the latest updates from processors and customers.
If you’re interested in potatoes or the potato farming industry, these resources provide a lot of great information.
Visit Site
The Oregon Potato Board boosts market share for Oregon potatoes globally, supporting both fresh and processed products. Engaged in marketing, research, and education, they advocate for the state's potato farmers.
Oregon Potato
Board
With great soil, good weather and lots of experience in the fields, Walker Brothers are set for success every season.
A Little About Our Potato Farm
Our potatoes are grown under the careful management of a team with collectively over 75 years of experience raising potatoes in the fertile soils of the Klamath and Tulelake Basin. In addition to chipping and frying potatoes, we also grow hay and wheat as rotation crops to ensure the future quality of our soils.
Each year our farming professionals evaluate the needs of our customers and alter the fertilization, irrigation, and growing season of our potatoes accordingly. In this way we tailor our crop to create potatoes which vary by size, grade and physical appearance to fit our customer’s specific needs.
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GRAIN & ALFALFA
Grain is where it all began for John & Bill in 1973. To this day Gold Dust & Walker Farms grows high quality grain, alfalfa and other forage crops. We grow and sell commercially as well as organic and support local dairy and cattle operations as well as offer shipping across the US. Product can also be purchased FOB at our Farm in Malin Oregon.
CHIPPER POTATOES
Our Crops
In the beautiful Klamath Basin, with an average of 218 days of sunshine we grow both organic and conventional crops on our farms. The crops we market include chipping potatoes, alfalfa, and grain. With over 15,000 acres we are able to supply large volumes for domestic shipping as well as for international export. Our strategic location with access to transport routes in both Oregon, California and Idaho allows us to efficiently reach key shipping hubs and markets across the country and around the world! As we continue expanding our operation, we remain committed to meeting the diverse needs of our customers through sustainable production of multiple crop varieties.
We could write an ode to the potato because we love them so much! It might be surprising to some but producing potatoes is very complex. From planting at just the right time, to maximize the growing season but not too soon that cold weather impacts yields, to storage management that allows us to ship potatoes nearly a year after harvesting, it seems there are infinite decisions made that impact the outcome of each crop year. Fortunately for us we have decades of experience and a strong team to help navigate the process.
By partnering with growers locally and miles away we are able to ship year round since 2013.
CHIPPER POTATOES
Chipping potatoes, tailored for the art of chip-making, distinguish themselves with a rounder shape, easily rubbed off light skin, and optimal sugar levels. This unique composition yields crispy, golden chips- a stark contrast to the tougher-skinned and high sugar varieties you find at the grocery store. A large portion of our acres are planted annually with carefully chosen varieties ideal for chip making. Our decades of experience in potato farming and focus on chipper production allow us to consistently provide high quality to our customers. In addition to carefully planned farming, we have a robust storage protocol that protects the integrity of our potatoes allowing us to ship year-round!
ORGANICS
We are proud to be certified organic and supply organic potatoes, hay and grain to many great customers. We strive to be experts on organic chippers and are able to ship high quality organic potatoes from August- June.
Grain is where it all began for John & Bill in 1973. To this day Gold Dust & Walker Farms grows high quality grain, alfalfa and other forage crops. We grow and sell commercially as well as organic and support local dairy and cattle operations as well as offer shipping across the US. Product can also be purchased FOB at our Farm in Malin Oregon.
GRAIN & ALFALFA
Where We
Farm
The Running Y & Caledonia
The Running Y, a scenic farm, produces outstanding crops and is a bird haven along the Pacific Flyway. Across the highway, Caledonia has rich peat ground mixed with Mount Mazama ash.
Oregon
Where We
Farm
Oregon
The Running Y, a scenic farm, produces outstanding crops and is a bird haven along the Pacific Flyway. Across the highway, Caledonia has rich peat ground mixed with Mount Mazama ash.
The Straits,
Worden
Home to our campus, not only do we farm the fields right around our packing shed and potato storages but we also grow crops on a couple of sandy farms in the Malin area.
Oregon
Malin
Tucked between the Peninsula towards Newell and Sheepy Ridge down to the Lava Beds, for decades we've farmed the peaty ground of the Tule Lake Leaselands as well as some fields that were one time under 20 feet of water.
California
Tulelake
Merrill, our Home Place, is where Bill and John's grandparents began dairy farming in the 1920s. Recognizable by our organic fields along the highway between Merrill and Malin or Tulelake.
Oregon
Merrill
Near the Oregon/Washington boarder, this location allows for shipping fresh potatoes as early as July
Oregon
Boardman
Located in Eastern Idaho, this area is known for abundance and high-quality potatoes. Its location offers a unique opportunity to serve Customers both to the East and West
American Falls
Idaho
The Straits,
Worden
South of Klamath Falls on the Oregon/California, the Straits was a large pasture ranch that now provides us with rich, lake bed soil mixed with organic material.
Oregon
Home to our campus, not only do we farm the fields right around our packing shed and potato storages but we also grow crops on a couple of sandy farms in the Malin area.
Oregon
Malin
Tucked between the Peninsula towards Newell and Sheepy Ridge down to the Lava Beds, for decades we've farmed the peaty ground of the Tule Lake Leaselands as well as some fields that were one time under 20 feet of water.
Tulelake
California
Merrill, our Home Place, is where Bill and John's grandparents began dairy farming in the 1920s. Recognizable by our organic fields along the highway between Merrill and Malin or Tulelake.
Merrill
Oregon
Oregon
Near the Oregon/Washington boarder, this location allows for shipping fresh potatoes as early as July
Boardman
Located in Eastern Idaho, this area is known for abundance and high-quality potatoes. Its location offers a unique opportunity to serve Customers both to the East and West
American Falls
Idaho
Interested in purchasing potatoes, hay or grain? We primarily work with customers who contract with us for the crop year (contracts in place by February 1st). However, we strive to have high yields with extra product available on the open market.
Please reach out to us at potatosales@golddustfarms.com if you are interested in learning more.