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Open House Field Day, 2019

October 10, 2019 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

When August rolls around, at Gold Dust & Walker Farms we always count on a few things happening. Grain harvest starts, swathers continue to  knock down alfalfa out in the fields, we start getting ready for potato harvest, and we open our doors and our fields for our annual Open House Field Day.

Eleanor and Michelle Pine telling Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests about Make-A-Wish
Eleanor is being pretty brave to speak to all of us about Make-A-Wish

The Monday night kick-off dinner at Bill and Jan’s house has become a great way for us to welcome guests from afar, say hello to old friends and get introduced to new faces. It’s been a beautiful summer, and the warm, smoke-free evening was perfect for taking in a sunset over the Klamath Basin. As the sun went down, our guests enjoyed beer from Skyline Brewing, fresh seafood from Casey Lammers and Ken Hibbard, a feast put together by Jan and, of course, great conversation. This year we had a guest speaker, a local Make-A-Wish wisher, Eleanor Pine and her mom, Michelle. Michelle talked about how much Make-A-Wish meant to them during Eleanor’s treatment for cancer.

Guests for Gold Dust & Walker Farms' 2019 Open House Field Day visiting on the patio of Bill and Jan Walker's home.
Lexi Crawford and Tricia Hill carving a roast for the Monday night Welcome Dinner before the 2019 Open House Field Day.
Guests of Gold Dust & Walker Farms visiting at Bill and Jan Walker's house.
Old friends and guests visiting on patio at Bill and Jan's house for the dinner before Gold Dust & Walker Farms' 19th annual Open House Field Day.

The next day everyone met in Tulelake at Mike and Wanda’s for breakfast. Traci Reed and some young women from Klamath County 4H joined our group for eggs, bacon, pork chops (yes, pork chops!), and biscuits and gravy, and for our guest speakers. Every year we try to have a theme for our Open House Field Day. Last year we focused on the families of our growers, and in the past we’ve discussed sustainability. This year the theme was Women In Ag. 

Women in agriculture is a subject that’s been getting a lot of attention this year – and not just on our farm. You’ve probably read the local news stories about our CFO Tricia Hill becoming the first woman president of the Klamath Water Users Association and Lexi Crawford becoming the first woman on the Oregon Potato Commission. Nationally, women farmers are becoming more visible with the national  Census of Agriculture representing women better than past surveys. With that in mind, we thought that should be this year’s theme.

Lexi Crawford, Alexis Taylor and Tricia Hill in Gold Dust's packing shed during Gold Dust & Walker Farms' 2019 Open House Field Day
Lexi and Tricia with guest speaker, Alexis Taylor

Our first speaker was Alexis Taylor, Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  Originally from Iowa, Alexis grew up on the family farm that has been around longer than the state of Oregon. Though she knew she didn’t want to farm, she did know she wanted to advocate for ag. After a stint in the National Guard and living in Washington DC, Alexis made her way West where Governor Kate Brown appointed her as Agriculture Director. She discussed some of the programs Oregon has for women farmers and ranchers as well as the issues women in ag have to overcome. 

The part of her talk that resonated with the audience was a story she told about a meeting she was having with several men about women in agriculture. One of the men stated he didn’t see the importance of this meeting because women have always been involved with farming and didn’t know why they needed to focus on it. Being the only woman in the room, Alexis responded that we needed to not just have women working on farms, but to be at the table for these types of meetings as well. 

Jeff Gibson of Rabobank talking about the ag economy at Mike & Wanda's restaurant in Tulelake, California.
You may not of made it through your presentation without a graph, Jeff, but at least it was one helluva’ graph!

Following Alexis was Jeff Gibson with RaboBank. Always informative and very entertaining, Jeff shared a slideshow discussing the current markets, economy and interest rates. His goal was to make it through the whole slideshow without showing a single graph – which he failed at on slide five. The biggest takeaway from Jeff’s talk was despite the impact of the tariff war with China, the possibility of  a recession, the rest of the world is in a much worse situation than the US.

Rob & Cheri Unruh
Looking good, Rob and Cheri!

Once everyone boarded the bus at Gold Dust’s campus, we headed out to see the fields of our growing partners. Keeping with the theme, women involved with those farms talked about their roles in their operation, how they became involved in agriculture and some of the challenges they face. Cheri Unruh was the first to speak on our way out to her and Rob’s field of 2137s. Cheri is a fourth generation farmer (who’s dad is still farming with her and Rob!), but the first woman in her family to actually farm and not be a farm wife. Cheri shared that her mom and grandmother didn’t think she should be on a tractor, however the biggest challenge faced – and she continues to face – is that people have a hard time understanding what she does. Apparently in 2019 some people still have a hard time understanding that women do indeed farm.

Marshall Staunton, Eddie Staunton and Marc Staunton in a potato field near Tulelake, California.
Marc Staunton doing a great job representing Staunton Farms

The next field we visited was Staunton Farms’ organic Lamoka field located just outside of Tulelake. Marc Staunton spoke to our group, sharing that women have always been a part of their farm, including his grandmother, who used to run the books, his mother who’s been minding the office for the last 35 years, to his wife Ami who runs payroll and his cousin who takes care of HR, GAP audits and dealing with FSA. However, the person he was hoping that would join our tour was Suzy Hernandez. Marc joked that he wouldn’t allow her to speak out of fear of someone trying to hire her out from under him, but after sharing how she manages a variety of roles from recruiting labor to working the field crews, maybe his fears weren’t unfounded! Suzy’s father started off with the farm over 35 years ago as a field laborer. Out of all of his kids, Suzy is the one who came back, starting off in the fields. Between her ability to get workers and flexibility to wear the multiple hats of a farm manager, Marc said she’s an important part of their farm.

Angela & Luke Robison in potato field near Tulelake, California.
Not only did Angela talk to us about her role on the farm, she brought treats!

After an extremely short bus trip (literally a quarter of a mile away) we went to Luke Robison’s field of 1867s and met his wife, Angela, there. With rice-crispie treats topped with potato chips in hand, Angela shared what it’s like being married to a farmer. From cleaning up after muddy to boots and making late dinners to raising their son, Winston, and lending an ear to his successes and worries, Luke said he sees Angela as being a vital part of their farm. When she married Luke, he was a ditchrider that she knew had grown potatoes in the past. Once he decided to plant a field of spuds, she was pushed into a lifestyle that would give her a community she loves and turn her into a self-described potato snob.

Tricia Hill, Cheri Unruh and Angela Robison
Three of the most important people on their farms – Tricia, Cheri and Angela
Destiney Huffman talking to group at chipping potato field near Newell, California
Destiney did shared with us how she went from not knowing much about farming to being an important part of Huffman Farms.

Leaving Tulelake, we headed towards Newell to Huffman Farms’ potato field that was fallowed in 2018 due to lack of water. On the way over, Matt talked about his mother, who “wasn’t a farmer, but was thee farm” and then followed with how Drew’s wife, Destiney, helps their farm. Destiney met us at the field, where she shared her story and what she’s learned. Originally from Yuba City, California, she didn’t grow up in ag. After marrying a farm boy, it was hard to leave the farm and for the last eight years they’ve been working with the family. Destiney started out doing QC in the cellars, and when it proved hard to find good office help, she stepped into that role, taking on accounting, HR, safety and even the organic audits. The biggest thing she’s learned? “Agriculture is a lifestyle. You don’t leave it at the door and it comes home with you.”

Rob Unruh showing potatoes from a field near Malin, Oregon, during Gold Dust & Walker Farms' Open House Field Day
Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests near a potato field outside of Tulelake, California.
Destiney Huffman talking to group at chipping potato field near Newell, California
Angela & Luke Robison in potato field near Tulelake, California.
Members of Klamath County 4H with Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests during the 2019 Open House Field Day.
Rob & Cheri Unruh
Marshall Staunton, Eddie Staunton and Marc Staunton in a potato field near Tulelake, California.
Bill Walker and John Walker in a Malin potato field.

Back on the bus and headed towards Malin, Tricia and Lexi shared their experiences with being women in agriculture. Tricia never planned on coming back to the farm, and Lexi never dreamed of farming. But a fateful call from Tricia’s brother, Weston, and Lexi’s husband, Bart’s desire to farm brought them to Gold Dust. Though they had a rocky start working together, they both feel the success they’ve had is because they have each other. Both bring a different view to the challenges of running the offices and the shed, and both appreciate what each brings to the table. When asked for any advice for young women looking at career in ag, Tricia recommended they broaden their thoughts about what working in ag is as there are a lot of different roles on the farm. Lexi agreed with Tricia’s sentiments, and added not having an ag background shouldn’t be a deterrent, because Lexi is able to use her business education to help move the farm forward.

Tricia Hill and her grandmother- Betty Halousek, mother - Jan Walker, and her daughters - Mari and Rory.
Tricia with two women in ag that came before her – her grandmother Betty Halousek and mom, Jan Walker, and two future female farmers!

While speaking about the importance of the women in Gold Dust & Walker Farms, Tricia brought up one of the most important people who helped get these businesses to where they are – her mom, Jan. Jan was supposed to be on the tour to share her experiences, but after the Monday night shindig she opted to rest for the golf and dinner later that day. Tricia shared that while everyone called Jan a farm wife, she was a farmer. She drove tractor and helped get the harvest from the fields. Jan also got to deal with the government and its intrusions, as well as take on accounting and office staff as the farm began to grow. Along with Tricia and Weston’s grandfather, Dick Halousek, Jan and he developed a lot of the computer programs and systems that helped the farm manage its inventory.  And Jan’s legacy will continue forward since she’s the one that trained Tricia and Lexi.

Paul Sproule educating Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests about chipping potato varieties.
Katie Bailey, Traci Reed and Klamath County 4H girls checking out chipping potato samples.
Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests checking out potatoes at their Malin potato packing plant.

After checking out a chipping potato field grown by Walker Farms with Bill and John, and enjoying lunch at the packing shed, everyone headed out for golf! This year the “Crown Royal Invitational” was held at Harbor Links. We did a few things differently for the golf outing and dinner fundraiser for Make-A-Wish. Instead of having men’s teams and women’s teams, this year the teams were co-ed. We still had the men’s and women’s KP and Long Distance, but this allowed members of Gold Dust & Walker Farms to spend some time with the customers and vendors they talk to on the other end of the phone. 

Gold Dust & Walker Farms' golf guest taking shot of Crown Royal before start of golf tournament.
It’s a tradition – salud!

Following golf, our guests met at the club-house where dinner and drinks were served. If you’ve ever read any of our other Open House Field Day blog posts, you know that we use this dinner as an opportunity to raise money for our local chapter of Make-A-Wish.  But before we get to that, here’s the outcome from our golf tournament!

  • Men's KP winner, Chris Moudry, with Lexi Crawford
    Men’s KP – Chris Moudry
  • Women's KP Winner Destiney Huffman with Lexi Crawford.
    Women’s KP – Destiney Huffman
  • Ken Hibbard, Men's Long Drive Winner, with Lexi Crawford.
    Men’s Long Drive – Ken Hibbard
  • Lexi Crawford presenting Tricia Hill with a prize for Women's Longest Drive.
    Women’s Long Drive Winner, Tricia Hill!
  • Jared Marshall, Paul Sproule, John Walker and Tammie Staunton were our first place team.
    1st Place – Jared Marshall, Paul Sproule, John Walker and Tammie Staunton
  • Drew Huffman, Matt Thompson and Joel Strunk were 2nd Place team
    2nd Place – Drew Huffman, Matt Thompson and Joel Strunk
  • Jeff Gibson, Luke Robison, Tricia Hill & Ken Hibbard showing off Last Place prizes
    Last Place Team – Jeff Gibson, Luke Robison, Tricia Hill and Ken Hibbard.

Last year, between the contributions of our guests and our matching funds, we were able to raise $45,000 from calling out pledges. As mentioned, this year things were a little different.

A blue Subaru wrapped with Make-A-Wish logos.
Yep – it’s the Make-A-Wishmobile!

How different? For starters, instead of a video about a Make-A-Wish wisher, Eleanor and her family joined us for dinner to share how Make-A-Wish helped make a hard time a bit easier. Getting to hear from Eleanor and her father, Evan, about how their trip to Disneyland helped take the stress off of their family and create some positive memories while Eleanor was going through treatment for cancer. That led to not a call for pledges, but instead an auction! Auction items were as varied as a basketball signed by the Portland Trailblazers to a vacation stay in Hawaii to fishing gear. After all the bidding was done, our guests alone helped raise an impressive $38,000 for Make-A-Wish! Also in attendance was Mallory Tyler and Darcie LaMotte, who thanked our guest and and announced Katie was added to their Regional Board of Directors.

Cassie Thompson and Jim Schrack at the Open House Field Day dinner.
Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests eating dinner near the Harbor Links club house.
Billy Conrad bidding on items at Gold Dust & Walker Farms' Open House Field Day dinner
Evan Pine talking about Make-A-Wish with his daughter, Eleanor.
Darcie LaMotte giving Katie Walker praise for her involvement with Make-A-Wish.
An auctioneer auctioning off a basketball at the Gold Dust & Walker Farms' 2019 Open House Field Day dinner.

We had a fun day, and we hope our guests did to. Before wrapping this up, we’d like to thank everyone who was able to join us for our annual Open House Field Day. Your support helps us grow every year, and your generosity helps local kids, like Eleanor. Thank you very much for your support and generosity!

Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests on the putting green at Harbor Links.
Here’s a handsome and intelligent group of people. Thank you for joining us for our 19th Annual Open House Field Day!


Filed Under: chipping potatoes, Gold Dust Potato Processors, Make-A-Wish Oregon, open house field day, potato shed, Walker Farms

Open House Field Day 2018

September 6, 2018 By Gold Dust Farms

Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests at the Reames' Country Club for the 2018 Open House Field Day.
Thanks to everyone who could make it our 18th Annual Open House Field Day!

Another August was almost over. Grain and hay were being cut, and chipping potatoes were already being dug and shipped. Earlier in the month we had a Leadership Meeting and Employee Appreciation Picnic, making this August a touch busier than normal. And as always this time of year, we opened our doors and headed to the fields for Gold Dust & Walker Farms’ 18th Annual Open House Field Day!

This year, the festivities began the night before at Bill and Jan’s house, where Gold Dust and Walker Farms staff mingled with our visitors. Though the past few months in the Klamath Basin were incredibly smokey, the air cleared and everyone was able to enjoy a gorgeous evening outside with cold drinks, great food and good company. A feast of roast, fresh tuna, shrimp and scallops was put together by Jan, Ken Hibbard and Casey Lammers, followed by German chocolate cake and ice cream. Visiting carried on past sunset, and with a touch of smoke still in the air, gave our guests an amazing Klamath Basin sunset. Frankly, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful evening.

Jan Walker, Ken Hibberd and Casey Lammers prepping dinner near Malin, Oregon.
Cheers to our chefs – Jan, Ken and Casey!
Bob Gasser, Drew Huffman and Kyle Patterson visiting at Bill and Jan Walker's Malin, OR home.
Bob Gasser is having a pretty serious conversation with Drew Huffman and Kyle Patterson.
Weston Walker and Rob Unruh visiting with Jaap Langenberg at Bill and Jan Walker's house outside Malin, OR.
Weston and Rob Unruh visiting with Jaap Langenberg of Luke’s Organics.
Bill Walker Mike Henard, Jim Boone and Erin Plumb visiting at Bill and Jan Walker's home.
Looks like Bill is telling a pretty good story!
Sanjay Prasad and Gurvinder Johal from Frito Lay visiting with Matt Thompson at Bill and Jan Walker's Malin, Oregon house.
Sanjay, Gurvinder and Matt enjoying a couple of cold ones.
Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests visiting at Bill and Jan Walker's Malin, Oregon home.
Everyone enjoying the good company and roast beef, tuna and shrimp.

The next morning, everyone met at Mike & Wanda’s restaurant in Tulelake. After a welcoming speech from Bill, Lexi introduced Klamath County Museums Manager, Todd Kepple. At our Open House Field Day breakfast, we usually have a speaker, and this year Mr. Kepple put together a presentation about the history of Klamath Basin agriculture. From the Reclamation Project to drawing homesteads from pickle jars to the Bucket Brigade of 2001, Todd’s presentation gave us and our guests incredible insights to how farming and ranching not only changed over the years, but how it changed the Klamath Basin itself.

Bill Walker and Lexi Crawford welcoming Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests at Mike and Wanda's Restaurant in Tulelake, CA.
Bill and Lexi warmly welcoming our guests at breakfast.
Klamath County Museum Manager, Todd Kepple, giving a presentation about Klamath Basin agriculture during Gold Dust & Walker Farms' 18th Annual Open House Field Day breakfast.
Todd Kepple, Manager of the Klamath County Museum, gave our group a great historical perspective of Klamath Basin ag.

Gold Dust & Walker Farms' guests boarding a bus used for the 2018 Open House Field Day.
All aboard!

Following breakfast, it was time to head to the potato fields! Like last year, our growers showed off their fields and dug up a few spuds to show our group. If you’ve read past posts about our Open House Field Day, you’ve seen pictures of long trains of cars and pickups parked along the fields. This year, we decided it would be more efficient and effective to rent a bus instead of everyone driving to the fields on their own. With everyone on the bus, on the way to the fields our growers were able to provide their family’s history of farming in the Klamath Basin as well as answer questions about potato varieties, the ins-and-outs of potato farming and anything else that came to mind. Not only was this a more efficient way for us to get everyone on the field tour, it provided a great way for our guests to chat while learning more about us and our growers.

Which growers’ fields did we visit?

We started with Luke Robison’s field of 2137 potatoes located just outside of Tulelake. After that, we headed to the leases where Matt Huffman had some 1867 chipping potatoes dug and ready for inspection. Next, we headed back to Tulelake where we visited Sid Staunton’s field of Waneta potatoes. Though we weren’t able to swing by his field located near Lower Klamath Lake, Kyle Patterson shared a bit about his experiences with growing Dakota Pearls, which was fitting because it was on the way to a sandy field of Dakota Pearl chippers grown by Rob Unruh, just a bit north of Gold Dust’s campus. On the way back the shed, Tricia shared a bit about her and Weston’s Basin farming lineage and what brought her back home to farm.

Sid Staunton, John Walker and Luke Robison discussing chipping potatoes in a potato field outside of Tulelake, CA.
In Luke Robison’s field, John enjoyed a fresh potato
Matt Huffman, John Walker and Danny Lopez talking about chipping potatoes in a field on the Tule Lake Leaselands.
Matt Huffman, John and Lays Modesto plant manager Danny Lopez talking quality in Huffman Farms’ field in the Leases.
John Walker, Ed Staunton, Sid Staunton and Bill Walker in Staunton Farms' chipping potato field outside of Tulelake, CA.
Ed and Sid Staunton shared their grandfather’s desire to make Tulelake look a little more like West Virginia during their field visit.
Rob Unruh digging up Dakota Pearl potatoes in a potato field north of Gold Dust Potatoes' Malin, OR campus.
Those are some pretty good looking potatoes, Rob!

By the time we made it back to the packing shed, the plant had ended shipping for the day and Matt had samples of the chipping potato varieties Gold Dust and Walker Farms can provide laid out on the production floor. To make this visit even more interesting, Frito Lay reps Sanjay Prasad, Gurvinder Johal and Danny Lopez brought along some fresh potato chips from the Lays plant in Modesto. And yes – these were made with our potatoes we dug this week!

Lays potato chips next to a sample of 1867 chipping potatoes in Gold Dust Potatoes' packing shed for the 2018 Open House Field Day.
It’s pretty cool to see fresh potato chips next to a sample of chipping potatoes of the same variety.
Danny Lopez, Bill Walker and Todd Kepple in Gold Dust Potato Processors' packing shed in Malin, Oregon.
Danny Lopez talking chip quality with Bill and Todd Kepple.
Matt Thompson, David Thackery and Mark Thomas talking at Gold Dust Potatoes' 2018 Open House Field Day.
When you get three processing plant guys together, what do you think they’re talking about?
Tricia Hill and Kyle Patterson with an unknown guest at Gold Dust's processing plant during the 2018 Open House Field Day.
Tricia and new grower, Kyle Patterson, checking out the chipping potato samples.

Following the shed tour, our guests made their way to Reames Country Club for a fun golf scramble. Once the ceremonial shots of Crown had been taken, the teams made their way to the golf course for a shotgun start. Around 6:30 pm, the teams began to make their way from the golf course to the club house to enjoy cocktails and a dinner put together by the Reames staff.

Katie Walker and Billy Conrad of Pape' Machinery with a plaque honoring Pape' Machinery for their support of Make-A-Wish Oregon at Gold Dust's 2018 Open House Field Day dinner.
On behalf of Make-A-wish Oregon, Katie gave Billy Conrad of Pape’ Machinery an award for their continued gifting.

The Open House Field Day has presented itself as an opportunity to raise money for our local Make-A-Wish chapter, and this year was no different. Katie Walker, Weston’s wife, took this as an opportunity to recognize some of our guests who have given year after year with a plaque to recognize their company’s generosity. After handing out recognition, it was time to start raising pledges.

Last year, between the generosity of our guests and Gold Dust and Walker Farms’ matching their pledges, we were able to raise $30,490 along with 135,000 airline miles. This year’s goal was to raise $35,000.  After a heartfelt thank you from Make-A-Wish Oregon’s Corporate Alliances Manager, Mallory Tyler, and short video about a Wish recipient, our guests gave generously. When it was all said and done, after Gold Dust matched everyone’s pledges, our crowd raised $45,000 for Make-A-Wish! When we say we work with good people, we don’t just mean they’re good at they do. Their pledges for Make-A-Wish is proof of that.

At the 18th Annual Open House Field Day dinner, Gold Dust and Walker Farms' guests watched a movie about a Make-A-Wish wish recipient.
Before our Make-A-Wish fundraiser, there was a short movie about a wish coming true.
Gold Dust and Walker Farms 18th Annual Open House Field Day guests raising money for Make-A-Wish Oregon.
Lexi and Katie led a great round of fundraising for Make-A-Wish Oregon. Well done to our guests!
Make-A-Wish Oregon’s Corporate Alliances Manager, Mallory Tyler, thanking guests for generosity at Gold Dust & Walker Farms' 18th Annual Open House Field Day.
Mallory Tyler, Make-A-Wish Oregon’s Corporate Alliances Manager, thanking our guests for their generosity.

We also went over which teams won the golf scramble and who took home top honors for their skills with the clubs. This year, we had a tie for first and second place – both teams shot a 64. After going over the cards and comparing the performance of the front nine, the back nine and doing some other fancy golf math, the team of Matt Thompson, Sanjay Prasad, Erin Plumb and Ty Hulse came out on top, which left second place honors for Rob Unruh, Steve Parkinson and Drew Huffman. Destiny Huffman had an amazing day as she took home not only the Ladies Longest Drive, but also the Closest to the Pin! Jared Marshall crushed the ball to take home Men’s Long Drive while Jeff Dahl drove his ball Closest to the Pin to take home the other golf club.

Lexi Crawford with Gold Dust Open House Field Day Longest Drive winner, Jared Marshall.
The Man With The Big Club – Jared Marshall
Lexi Crawford with Gold Dust's 18th Annual Open House Field Day Men's KP winner Jeff Dahl.
Jared Dahl showed all the men what accuracy is about with a KP on his last hole.
Lexi Crawford with Destiney Huffman, who took home Women's KP and Long Drive honors at Gold Dust & Walker Farms' 18th Annual Open House Field Day golf scramble.
The gal with all the gifts – Destiney Huffman!

1st place team for the Gold Dust & Walker Farms' 18th Annual Open House Field Day golf scramble Erin Plumb, Ty Hulse, Sanjay Prasad and Matt Thompson.
Here’s your 1st Place Winners – Erin, Ty, Sanjay and Matt!
2nd place team for Gold Dust and Walker Farms' Open House Field Day golf scramble Drew Huffman, Rob Unruh and Steve Parkinson.
After a heartbreaking first place tie, here’s our second place winners – Drew, Rob and Steve.

Before the night was over, the senior partners passed the mic to thank everyone for coming. Tricia took this opportunity to highlight five folks who have been attending our Open House Field Day since the beginning – Ron Marshall, Jim Boone, Paul Sproule, and Chris Moudry. Weston thanked the crowd for their generosity and Bill thanked everyone who attended for their continued support and attendance to our Open House Field Day. John wrapped it up with a rousing thank you and pep talk that pointed out that what has made our businesses successful isn’t just us – it was everyone in the audience who got up every morning and did what they do best. His mic drop drew loud applause and was a fitting end to the evening.

Bill Walker thanking guests at Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 18th Annual Open House Field Day.
Bill thanking everyone for making our 18th Annual Open House Field Day another success.
Weston Walker thanking guests at Gold Dust & Walker Farms' 2018 Open House Field Day.
Weston thanking our guests for their continued support of Make-A-Wish Oregon.
John Walker thanking guests at Gold Dust's 18th Annual Open House Field Day.
John bringing the house down with a raucous thank you!

We always enjoy this opportunity to get together with the growers, suppliers, financiers and customers who have helped us become successful, and this year was no different. Gold Dust and Walker Farms are successful in no small part due to the people we work with. When we say we work with the best – and most giving – we mean it. We hope everyone had a safe trip home and that we’ll see everyone once again next year. Last, but not least – thank you. Thank you for helping us become the amazing businesses we have grown into and thank you for your continued support.

Filed Under: customers and clients, Gold Dust Potato Processors, Make-A-Wish Oregon, open house field day, potato chips, potato customers, potato shed, walker brothers

17th Annual Open House Field Day

September 28, 2017 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

Guests for Gold Dust and Walker Farms' Open House Field Day inspecting chipping potato samples in Cellar 1 on Gold Dust's Malin campus.
We literally opened up our doors for our 17th Annual Open House Field Day!

This year’s Open House Field Day was as much about change as it was showing off our processing plant and fields. We’ve always loved this event because it gives us an opportunity to share the insights and inner-workings of our farm and shed with the people who’ve helped us grow into the sustainable businesses that we are. And from that point of view, our 17th Annual Open House Field Day was like others in the past. However, some of this year’s changes could be summed up by our new company slogan, “Where together we grow”.

We kicked off the Open House Field Day on August 28th with our usual pre-function dinner at Bill and Jan’s house where old and new friends gathered to catch up and enjoy ahi seared by Rabobank’s Ken Hibbard, a delicious prime rib roasted by Jan and a few drinks. The next morning, our guests were treated to hearty, country-style breakfast at Mike and Wanda’s in Tulelake. After Weston recognized and thanked our many customers and partners and Bill thanked our growers, Lexi unveiled the new logo and company motto.

Inspiration for “where together we grow” came from talks Lexi had with employees trying to find out what motivates them to come to work everyday. The overwhelming response was that our employees took ownership of their jobs, and as part of taking ownership, knew that if they didn’t do their job someone else wouldn’t be able to get their work done. “Not only do we grow crops, but we grow friendships, intelligence, partnerships, families, strong communities, personal strength, faith and love,” explained Lexi. “We are all connected and need each other in order to sustain this business.”

Bill Walker thanking chipping potato growers at Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 17th Annual Open House Field Day breakfast at Mike & Wanda's restaurant in Tulelake, CA.
Bill thanked our elite growers for helping Gold Dust and Walker Farms succeed
Lexi Crawford sharing her inspiration for the new company motto and unveiling the new logo at the 2017 Open House Field Day breakfast at Mike & Wanda's Restaurant in Tulelake, California.
Lexi shared our new slogan – “where together we grow” – with our guests
Klamath County Commissioners Donnie Boyd, Kelly Minty-Morris and Derrick DeGroot answering questions at Mike & Wanda's Restaurant during Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 17th annual Open House Field Day.
The Klamath County Commissioners shared the work they’ve been doing as well as answered community concerns.

Afterwards, Lexi introduced our special guest speakers, the Klamath County Commissioners. Kelley Minty-Morris, Donnie Boyd and Derrick DeGroot. The commissioners discussed some of the challenges they overcame on behalf of the County as well as fielded questions and concerns from the audience. From the need for air service at Crater Lake Regional Airport and bringing a grocery store to downtown Klamath Falls to the LNG pipeline and what can be done to bring Basin ag power rates to being on par with farmers on the Columbia River, the three of them did their best to address the concerns being discussed in the room.

Following breakfast, we headed to the fields to see how the current chipping potato crop looked. In a parade of pickups, SUVs and the few sedans, our crowd emptied out on the streets of Tulelake to the surrounding farmland.

The first field we looked at was a variety of potatoes named 1867s grown by Donnie Heaton. Donnie has been growing chipping potatoes for us for a while, and judging from the sample spuds he dug up he’s doing another fine job this year. Keeping with his normally quiet demeanor, Donnie let the potatoes do the talking. The shovelful of chippers were right on target for the time of year and looked great. He did mention “it’s been a long, hot summer” but as of the day of the field tours, he figured he’d dig that field towards the end of September or early October.

Klamath Basin potato grower Donnie Heaton bringing a sample of chipping potatoes for the field tour during Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 2017 Open House Field Day.
Donnie Heaton took a sample of chipping potatoes from his field
Donnie Heaton's sample of chipping potatoes for Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 17th Open House Field Day.
Donnie pulled out some really great chipping potatoes
Potato grower Donnie Heaton answering questions from Gold Dust and Walker Farms' guests at the 2017 Open House Field Day.
Though he let the potatoes do the talking, Donnie answered questions from our guests

Next we went to a field of 2137 chipping potatoes grown by Staunton Farms. Marc Staunton led the way and told our group a little about his family’s history in the Klamath Basin. His family’s 1927 homestead was not far from the field we were looking at. Though Marc talked about his family’s roots, the main thing he wanted to share was that his message was about sustainability, and as he put it, “Not the grocery store meaning of the word.” Between regulations, labor costs and availability, marketing and pressure from environmental groups, every year it gets harder to farm. However, by being proactive, Mark assured our visitors they’re in it for the long haul. And the chippers? Though Marc tried to downplay our expectations, he showed us another great sample of potatoes.

Mark Staunton, potato grower, sharing his family's history in the Klamath Basin in a potato field near his family's original homestead outside of Tulelake, CA.
Before digging up sample, Mark Staunton shared his family’s farming history and thoughts on sustainability
Mark Staunton holding sample chipping potatoes from his field near Tulelake, CA at Gold Dust's 2017 Open House Field Day.
Though he downplayed his potatoes, Mark’s chippers look pretty good
Gold Dust and Walker Farms' guests visiting Staunton Farms' field of 2137 chipping potatoes near Tulelake, California.
Despite the smoke, Staunton’s field of 2137s looks pretty good.

The third field we visited was a crop of Lamoka chipping potatoes grown by M.D. Huffman Farms. For Matt and his son, Drew, these potatoes represented a new opportunity for them – growing an organic crop. Though extremely adept at growing chipping potatoes, Huffmans had never grown organic potatoes before, and though challenging and presenting a learning curve, they realized they had to get into those markets. So, with “lots of chicken manure and fancy compost” as Matt put it, they’re putting up an amazing crop of potatoes – organic or conventional. We were also shown another field of organic Waneta potatoes they were growing, and it looked as good as the Lamokas.

Matt Huffman and his son, Drew, standing in a field of organic chipping potatoes near Tulelake, CA and Malin, OR.
Matt Huffman and his son, Drew, dug up organic Lamoka chipping potatoes
Weston Walker, of Gold Dust and Walker Farms, and Ryan Burge, of Kettle Brand potato chips, inspecting organic Lamoka chipping potatoes while Matt and Drew Huffman watch.
Weston and Ryan Burge inspected Matt and Drew’s organic chipping potatoes
Matt and Drew Huffman digging up organic Waneta chipping potatoes in a field near Malin, OR and Tulelake, CA during Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 17th annual Open House Field Day.
Matt and Drew Huffman tag-teamed digging up organic Waneta chipping potatoes

For our fourth stop, we visited Rob Unruh’s field of Dakota Pearls. The Unruh’s are another long-time Basin farming family, and Rob shared with us the field we were looking at was one his grandfather homesteaded in 1937. Rob’s son and grandfather farm with him, making almost four generations of family farming together. Before growing for Walker Farms, Rob mentioned his family were commercial growers. However, when the fresh market went sideways, times got tough. “Farming is a great life,” he said. “Just a hard way to make a living.” Regardless of markets, Rob’s talent for growing chipping potatoes is evident. The Dakota Pearls (the seed arrived by rail from PD Sproule) were perfect examples of what we’re looking for in chipping potatoes.

Rob Unruh, fourth generation Klamath Basin farmer, digging up Dakota Pearl chipping potatoes in a field near Malin, Oregon.
Rob Unruh looked pleased with the Dakota Pearl chipping potatoes he dug up
Rob Unruh carrying a shovelful of Dakota Pearl chipping potatoes from a field near Malin, OR during Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 2017 Open House Field Day.
Rob found quite a shovelful of Dakota Pearls
Ryan Burge of Kettle Brand potato chips inspecting Rob Unruh's Dakota Pearl chipping potatoes in a field near Malin, Oregon during Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 2017 Open House Field Day.
Ryan couldn’t wait to get a look at Rob’s Dakota pearls

Our last stop on the field tour was just on the other side of Turkey Hill from our packing shed at Luke Robison’s field of 2126 chipping potatoes. Luke is a fourth generation farmer, and, if his youngest son goes into the family business, the boy will be the fifth generation. Like our other growers, finding good labor has become a challenge so Luke has what he referred to as a “family farm crew”. Despite the size of his crew, they’re more than capable of getting the chippers from the fields to storage. Speaking of potatoes, Bill mentioned the 2126s were some of the hardest to grow. Not only do they require more fertilizer, the potato plants send out runners across the rows, making it hard to grow good sized tubers. Despite the challenges of 2126s, Luke and his son have produced a great crop of chippers that will be perfect when they finally dig the field.

Potato farmer Luke Robison digging up 2126 chipping potatoes in a field outside of Malin, OR during Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 2017 Open House Field Day.
Luke Robison dug up samples of 2126 chipping potatoes
Malin potato farmer Luke Robison piling samples of 2126 chipping potatoes for Gold Dust's guests to examine during the 2017 Open House Field Day.
As Weston pointed out, with this variety “if you can’t beat ’em with size you beat ’em with quantity!”
Ryan Burge inspects 2126 chipping potatoes grown by Luke Robison in a field near Malin, Oregon.
Judging by this pile of chipping potatoes, Luke has quantity and quality in this field

At this point, you may have noticed something – while we usually focus more on our fields, this year we solely focused on our potato growers. And it fits with our new slogan. A few of the growers talked about the experience and advice Bill and John offered them with the varieties they decided to grow and how to grow them. We, on the other hand, have been able to count on having the expertise of elite growers helping us fill our contracts. In an industry where quality is everything, we can rely on them producing top-quality chipping potatoes for our customers while providing our growers with a contract for fair and reliable price for their potatoes. Just as Paul Sproule helped us, we’re now able to help other farms grow.

After the field tours, we headed to our campus for lunch and to check out the various varieties of chipping potatoes we’re able to supply our customers. Usually we have this part of the Open House Field Day inside the processing plant, but, with shipping season already underway, we had another change – we instead went to Cellar 1. Tables were set up for lunch, and our guests were able to see the progress of the potato varieties.

Guests for Gold Dust and Walker Farms' Open House Field Day parked their cars outside Cellar 1 for lunch and shed tours.
After the field tours, our guests met us at Cellar 1 on our Malin campus
Kettle Brand potato chips' Jeep parked on Gold Dust Potato Processors' Malin Campus during the 2017 Open House Field Day.
Anyone guess which customer this Jeep belongs to?
Sample of chipping potatoes grown by Walker Farms are laid on the floor of Cellar 1 on Gold Dust's Malin campus at the 2017 Open House Field Day.
Samples of chipping potato varieties were laid out on the floor for our guests to check out
Tricia Hill of Gold Dust and Walker Farms talking with head accountant Dianne Spires in Cellar 1 during the 17th annual Open House Field Day.
Tricia and accountant Dianne Spires talked numbers and spuds before lunch
Gold Dust and Walker Farms' guests enjoyed lunch in Cellar 1 during the 2017 Open House Field Day.
Lunch time!
Tricia Hill, Jeremiah McElligott,, Destiney Huffman and Lexi Crawford visiting during lunch at Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 2017 Open House Field Day.
Guests visited with Gold Dust and Walker Farms management during lunch

Another variation from years past is the fact the packing shed was up and running – which meant our guests could actually get a tour from plant manager Matt Thompson and see exactly how the chipping potatoes move through the plant. From spud truck to getting sacked and stacked at the end, Matt showed everyone how the processing plant works as well as a few of the improvements he made to the shed over the summer.

Gold Dust and Walker Farms' guests were taken on a tour of Gold Dust's processing plant near Malin, OR during the Open House Field Day.
Plant Manager Matt Thompson led our guests on a tour of the potato packing shed while it was running
Chance McAuliffe watching chipping potatoes being sorted by the Odenberg optical sorter during the 2017 Open House Field Day.
Seeing the optical sorter in action was one of the many benefits of the shed running potatoes
Kathy Poppe from Rusth, Spires & Associates watches potatoes being manually sorted during Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 17th Annual Open House Field Day.
Aside from the mechanical sorting, our guests also saw how much manual sorting and labor takes place in our potato packing shed

Of course, it wouldn’t be an Open House Field Day without our golf tournament and dinner. This year we held both events at Reames’ Country Club. Though the smoke from nearby forest fires threatened to force us to use a backup plan, afternoon winds cleared out the Klamath Basin and ensured we were able to hit the links. After the ceremonial shot of Crown Royal (seriously, they ought to sponsor this event), our guests headed out to the golf course for a shot gun start. And as usual, the competition was fierce!

Gold Dust and Walker Farms' Open House and Field Day guests at Reames' Country Club for golf and dinner.
As usual, our guests are some of the best looking most intelligent people around!

Once the teams putted their last hole, drinks and dinner was served at the club house. Awards were given to the top two teams as well as last place. So, who took home which honors?

The first place team for Gold Dust and Walker Farms' 17th Annual Open House Field Day Golf Scramble was Drew Huffman, Thomas Sitzer, Matt Thompson and Joel Strunk at Reames' Country Club in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
First Place: Drew Huffman, Thomas Sitzer, Matt Thompson and Joel Strunk
Second place team Billy Conrad, Marc Staunton, Weston Walker and Jeremiah McElligot for Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' Open House Field Day at Reames' Country Club golf course.
Second Place: Billy Conrad, Marc Staunton, Weston Walker and Jeremiah McElligot
Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' Open House Field Day Golf Scramble Last Place team of Suzie Frederickson, Tammie Staunton, Dianne Spires and Tricia Hill at Reames' Country Club.
Last Place: Suzie Frederickson, Tammie Staunton, Dianne Spires and Tricia Hill
Open House and Field Day longest drive for the women Destiney Huffman and Suzie Frederickson posing with Matt Thompson and Lexi Crawford at the 2017 Open House Field Day dinner at Reames' Country Club.
Ladies’ Longest Drivers Destiney Huffman and Suzie Frederickson
2017 Open House Field Day Men's Longest Drive winner Matt Huffman at Reames' Country Club.
Men’s Longest Drive: Matt Huffman
Gold Dust 2017 Open House Field Day Lady's KP winner Dianne Spires posing with Lexi Crawford at Reames' Country Club in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Ladies’ KP: Dianne Spires

Men’s longest drive: Jarod Marshall (somehow he avoided the camera!)

The Open House Field Day Dinner is also an opportunity for us to raise money for one of our favorite charities – Make-A-Wish. Katie Walker, Weston’s wife, showed a video of a Make-A-Wish recipient who spent a day with the Portland Trailblazers which moved many of the folks in the crowd to tears. On behalf of Make-A-Wish, Katie also presented Gold Dust and Pape’ Machinery with plaques for their generous donations over the years. As part of her presentation, Katie also shared the history of our fundraising for Make-A-Wish over the years.

Bart Crawford, Tricia Hill, Bill Walker, Weston Walker, Katie Walker, Lexi Crawford and Matt Thompson with plaques from Make-A-Wish recognizing the fundraising Gold Dust and Walker Farms has done.
Katie presented plaques from Make-A-Wish Oregon to recognize Gold Dust and Walker Farms’ contribution to fundraising

The first year Gold Dust used the Open House Field Day as a charitable event was 2013, and that year the crowd raised $1,900 which Gold Dust matched to bring the total to $3,800. Over the years, our guests have been more generous, raising thousands of dollars for Make-A-Wish. This year, however, not as many people were able to make the trip out for the Open House Field Day, but that didn’t keep those who were able to make it from breaking all of our records. By the time the pledging was done, $30,490 had been raised along with 135,000 airline miles! To put that in perspective, last year Gold Dust and our guests raised $21,814, which broke the previous year’s record of $18,381.

That kind of generosity is what helps not only our farm grow, but helps out people in our community. Each wish costs around $7,000 to grant. To put that in perspective, that is approximately four wishes we and our guests are able to grant – wishes for local kids like Krue Johnston, whom Jan and Kay Ratliff recently helped. We are constantly amazed and humbled by the charitable nature of the people and businesses we work with. Thank you to all who pledged.

Despite the smoke, we had a great time this year and hope all of our guests did too. We understand it takes a lot of planning to travel out here, but Tricia, Weston, Bill and John appreciate everyone who can make the trip out. A big thank you to everyone who was able to make it, and to the folks who weren’t able to attend we hope to see you next year!

Filed Under: chipping potatoes, farm, Gold Dust Potato Processors, Make-A-Wish Oregon, open house field day, Organic Potatoes, potato chips, potato customers, potato shed, potato shipping, sustainable farming, walker brothers

Making A Wish Come True

August 21, 2017 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

Krue Johnston, a Make-A-Wish recipient from Klamath Falls standing in front of a limousine before heading to Medford Regional Airport to have his wish granted.
Krue Johnston getting ready to leave for his wish – the kid’s riding in style to MFR!

If you’ve followed our blog at all, you’re aware that for the last several years at our Open House Field Day that we have held a fundraiser for our local chapter of Make A Wish. We sincerely appreciate the charity and giving spirit of our guests. However, rarely do they get to see how their generosity impacts any of the children they’re helping.

Recently, Jan Walker, Gold Dust CEO Bill’s wife, was helping grant the wish of a local boy when things went slightly sideways on them at the Medford Airport. But it does have a happy ending. What’s great about this story is the franchise of one of our customers (not knowing Jan’s affiliation with Gold Dust or In-N-Out’s generosity at our annual event!) was more than giving in helping make his wish come true. Now, in Jan’s words, here’s how In-N-Out’s Medford, Oregon store manager helped her and a friend make a boy’s wish even sweeter:

Gold Dust has held Make A Wish fundraisers at our Annual Open House each August. Our participants have helped raise money for the many wishes that the Oregon Make A Wish Organization have provided to children facing life threatening health conditions. Katie Walker (Weston’s wife) and I have been active wish grantors and are often asked at our annual fundraiser about some of the wishes that the fundraiser has helped. Some of those are local children that are granted wishes. This is a story of one recent wish that was granted to a local boy, Krue Johnston.

Make-A-Wish wish grantors Kay Ratliff and Jan Walker standing with Krue Johnston at Medford Regional Airport.
Krue with wish grantors Kay Ratliff and Jan Walker

Krue was diagnosed with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy in 2015. A friend of mine, Kay Ratliff, who is also a wish grantor, and I took on Krue’s wish. After meeting Krue it was discovered his wish was to go to a sandy beach, snorkel, fish and swim with dolphins in the Bahamas. The magic of granting wishes to a wish child becomes real when wish grantors are able to announce to the child that his wish has come true. Krue’s wish to go to the Bahamas happened last May. He and his family flew to Nassau from Medford. One of the duties of wish grantors is to be at the airport to help the family on to their flight and intercept any problems. We were happy to be part of the excitement of beginning Krue’s wish.

While waiting for their plane, they planned to eat dinner. Unfortunately the airport restaurant was closed. Krue said he would love to have an In-N-Out Burger and Fries. This is where we come in to grant one more WISH!

As you may be aware, we supply In-N-Out with potatoes for their delicious french fries, and luckily for us there was a newly opened In-N-Out store in Medford. I took the families’ orders and drove over to the In-N- Out for their dinner. While there, the wonderful store manager helped prepare Krue’s special wish. She asked what size t-shirt Krue would wear and gave a coveted In-N-Out t-shirt to deliver to Krue. She provided Krue’s meal, an In-N-Out hat, stickers and games. Sadly we did not get the Medford store manager’s name, but we sincerely thank her and In-N-Out for the kindness to Krue.

Make-A-Wish wisher Krue Johnston at the Medford Airport with lunch provided by In-N-Out's manager.
Not saying airport food is bad, but In-N-Out does sound a bit better!
Krue Johnston enjoying an In-N-Out hamburger at the Medford Regional Airport.
Krue, is that a good burger?
Make-A-Wish wish grantor Jan Walker with Krue Johnston showing off In-N-Out t-shirt and hat donated along with dinner by Medford, Oregon's In-N-Out store manager.
Thank you, In-N-Out Medford!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have participated and so generously contributed to our cause for Make A Wish. You have made a dramatic difference is many children’s lives who become Wish children. Krue had a wonderful trip and was able to swim with his dolphins, he got to snorkel and be in the white sand that he was so looking forward to. Thank you and hope to see you all again at Gold Dust’s Open House this August.

Krue Johnston snorkeling in the Bahamas as part of his wish granted by Make-A-Wish.
Krue enjoying the blue waters of the Bahamas
Krue Johnston with a manta ray in the Bahamas as part of his Make-A-Wish wish.
Krue got to swim with dolphins and manta rays as part of his wish!
Krue Johnston and his mother, Tracy, swimming in the waters in the Bahamas.
Krue and his mom, Tracy, enjoying floating in the warm, beautiful waters of the Bahamas.

As Jan said, we hope to see all our guests at this year’s Open House and Field Day, and thank you to all for supporting Make A Wish. This story shows the caliber of people we do business with and the quality of folks they hire. Thank you again for helping make wishes come true!

One final thank you before wrapping this up – thank you to Krue’s mom, Tracy, for sharing his story and pictures from his wish. It’s a joy to see what Make-A-Wish is about!

Filed Under: chipping potatoes, cooking with jan, customers and clients, Gold Dust Potato Processors, Make-A-Wish Oregon, open house field day, walker brothers

16th Annual Open House Field Day

August 22, 2016 By Gold Dust Farms 3 Comments

A Lamoka potato plant flower in a field near Newell, CA.
It’s Gold Dust Potato Processors’ 16th Annual Open House Field Day!

Every August for the last 16 years we have opened our doors and our fields to guests from not only all over the United States, but as with this year, all over the world. While things were a bit different this year from last, some things didn’t change – gratitude for our customers and partners for helping Gold Dust and Walker Brothers become the outstanding businesses they are.

On August 16th, the busy day started at 7:30 in the morning with a hearty breakfast at Mike and Wanda’s restaurant in Tulelake, California (just over the border from Gold Dust’s Malin-area campus). While our guests sipped coffee and enjoyed eggs, bacon and sausage, biscuits and gravy, and french toast, CEO Bill Walker welcomed the guests and introduced Lexi Crawford, who organized the day’s events.  After reminding everyone about Gold Dust’s support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lexi introduced some of the folks who had traveled from far – Hyosang Park from Nong Shim (South Korea), Sunny Kang from IREH (South Korea), and Rob van Zadelhoff of RaboBank (the Netherlands via St. Louis, MO) as well as other important guests from much closer, such as Paul Sproule from North Dakota.

Following the introductions, Lexi then welcomed Rob van Zadelhoff to the front of the room. Mr. van Zadelhoff, CEO and President of RaboBank Agrifinance in St. Louis. With his roots in the Netherlands, Mr. van Zadelhoff talked to our audience about Brexit, the European markets and their effects on the States as well as the strength of the American agricultural market.  After he spoke, Tricia Hill introduced Dan Keppen from the Family Farm Alliance. Mr. Keppen has been involved in Klamath Basin water issues since 2001, and he updated the crowd with information on what’s happening on Capitol Hill as well as issues more specific to our locale.

Lexi Crawford of Gold Dust Potato Processors, welcomes guests at the 16th Annual Open House Field Day breakfast at Mike & Wanda's restaurant in Tulelake, CA.
Lexi started the day by welcoming guests from all over and outlining the days events
Rob van Zadelhoff, President and CEO of Rabo Agri Finance, speaks to Gold Dust Potatoes' guests at Mike & Wanda's in Tulelake, CA for the Open House Field Day breakfast.
Rob van Zadelhoff, President and CEO of Rabo Agri Finance spoke to our guests about the global issues concerning ag
Dan Keppen, Executive Director of the Family Farm Alliance, spoke to Gold Dust's guests at the breakfast for their Open House Field Day.
Dan Keppen of Family Farm Alliance spoke about the issues on Capitol Hill that will affect Oregon and California agriculture.

After breakfast, everyone jumped in their rigs and headed to the fields. Instead of focusing solely on Walker Brothers’ fields, this year the field portion of the Open House Field Day included visits to two chipping potato fields just outside of Tulelake farmed by MD Huffman Farms and another farmed by the Staunton family. Both fields featured Lamoka potatoes, a variety, as Bill explained, is great for shipping and storage as well as for frying. The samples brought in from both fields showcased beautiful chippers, and, if the weather holds, will be dug in 30 days.

Gold Dust Potatoes' guests gather at a potato field near Newell, CA grown by MD Huffman Farms.
The first field visited was a Lamoka chipping potato crop farmed by MD Huffman Farm
Matt Huffman, MD Huffman Farms, walks out of a potato field with samples of Lamoka chippers near Newell, CA.
Matt, those are some good looking chipping potatoes!
Gold Dust Potato Processors' guests inspect the Lamoka chipping potatoes MD Huffman Farms has grown near Newell, CA.
Gold Dust’s guests check out the spuds Matt Huffman brought in
A chipping potato field grown by Staunton Farms, just outside of Tulelake, CA.
Staunton Farms’ potato field just outside of Tulelake, California
Mark Staunton, of Staunton Farms, brings samples of Lamoka potatoes from the field near Tulelake, CA.
Mark, you also have some good-looking potatoes!
Paul Sproule discusses the merits of Lamoka potatoes to Gold Dust Potatoes' guests at potato field near Tulelake, CA.
The crowd listening to Paul Sproule discuss Lamoka potatoes

Following the fields visits, the group went to Gold Dust’s packing shed to see sample digs of all varieties, take a shed tour and see the latest piece of equipment from Mayo Mfg. As is tradition, in the shed each potato variety grown by Walker Brothers was laid on the floor in a triangle to show how each progressed throughout the growing season. On a table were samples of potatoes as well as how they fried up – including the famed Lamoka variety. Once the shed tour was complete and everyone was done checking out the Harriston Dirt Eliminator and Sizer, our guests hopped back into their cars and pickups to swing by a new farm Walker Brothers started farming on the way to Running Y.

Guests look at chipping potato samples at Gold Dust's packing shed near Malin, OR during the 16th Annual Open House Field Day.
Our guests got a chance to check out potato packing shed near Malin
Bill Walker and Alan Collette looking at chipping potato samples at Gold Dust's potato processing plant near Malin, OR.
Bill Walker talks about the potato varieties grown by Walker Brothers with Alan Collette
A sample of Lamoka potatoes and Lamoka potato chips on display at the Gold Dust's 16th Annual Open House Field Day.
And here’s how those famous Lamoka potatoes fry up
Guests look at samples of chiping potatoes laid out on the floor at Gold Dust's 16th Annual Open House Field Day.
The triangles of potatoes show how each variety grew during the season
Gold Dust's guests are taken on a tour of the Malin, Oregon potato packing plant during the shed tour at the 2016 Open House Field Day.
And it wouldn’t be a shed visit without a shed tour
Guests look at a 2016 Harriston Dirt Eliminator and Sizer at Gold Dust's Malin, Oregon campus.
Yes – that’s a new toy for the farm!

At the Running Y, Bill and John along with agronomist Sachin Rawat showed off an organic chipping potato field. John discussed some of the differences in growing organic potatoes – including accepting weeds as a part of life – and remedies for other pests. Bill also fielded questions about the long-term market prospects of organic potatoes, which, looking at the current focus on organic crops in the marketplace, appears to be something people will be looking for many years to come.

A collection of cars and pickups at the Running Y Ranch to see an organic potato field operated by Walker Brothers farm.
Yes, that is a long line of cars
Bob Gasser and John Walker bring organic chipping potatoes from a field at the Running Y for Gold Dust's guests to inspect during the 16th Annual Open House Field Day.
Bob Gasser, Basin Fertilizer, and John bring in a sample of organic potatoes for chipping
John Walker, Sachin Rawat and Bill Walker talk about their experience growing organic chipping potatoes on the Running Y Ranch outside of Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Sachin Rawat, John and Bill discuss the learning curve on growing organic potatoes
A photo of an organic corn field grown by Walker Brothers on the Running Y Ranch near Klamath Falls, OR.
Yep – that’s an organic corn field!
Gold Dust Potato Processors' guests stop and look at the organic corn field they're growing on the Running Y Ranch.
The crowd checks out the organic corn on the way to the Running Y headquarters
A photo of an organic corn field grown by Walker Brothers on the Running Y Ranch near Klamath Falls, Oregon.
In the background, you can see the headquarters behind the organic corn

After checking out an organic corn field being grown for silage for a local dairy, our guests enjoyed sandwiches in the shade of the trees at the Running Y Headquarters while a reporter from the Herald and News, Kevin Hume, interviewed Gold Dust’s partners and knowledgeable guests such as Duane “Sarge” Preston and Paul Sproule about the finer points of potato farming for his article “New potato variety highlight of field tour“.

Tricia Hill from Gold Dust and Destiny Huffman of MD Huffman Farms visit during the lunch break at the 16th Annual Open House Field Day.
Tricia Hill and Destiny Huffman talking shop during lunch at the Running Y
Gold Dust Potatoes' guests line up for lunch during the Open House Field Day at Gold Dust's Running Y Ranch headquarters near Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Lunch is served!
Sample potatoes on a table at Gold Dust's Running Y Ranch headquarters during the 16th Annual Open House Field Day.
A little sun and a lot of shade make the Running Y headquarters a great place for lunch

It wouldn’t be an Open House Field Day without the golf scramble, and this year was no different. However, instead of hosting it the Running Y Resort as in the past, this year the golf tournament was held at Reame’s Golf & Country Club just outside of Klamath Falls. With a group photo and shots of Crown, our guests made their way to the course for a shotgun start to the tournament. Thirteen teams made up the field this year, and judging from the stories and the scores, it appeared everyone had a wonderful time.

As our guests made their way from the golf course to Reames’ ballroom, dinner was served. With the option of steak and chicken as well as an open bar, the conversation was lively. And of course, this was when we had to give out the awards for the golf tournament!

First Place Team: John Walker, Mike Henard, Duane “Sarge” Preston and Jared Marshall

Second Place Team: Weston Walker, Aaron Karp, Greg Addington and Charles McElligott

Last Place Team: Tricia Hill, Dianne Spires, Tammie Staunton and Suzi Frederickson

Women’s Longest Drive: Sunny Kang

Men’s Longest Drive: Matt Thompsom

Women’s KP: Dianne Spires

Men’s KP: Matt Huffman

Sunny Kang won the Women's Longest Drive at the Gold Dust Potatoes 16th Annual Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Women’s Longest Drive: Sunny Kang
Matt Thompson won men's longest drive at Gold Dust Potatoes' 16th Annual Open House Field Day Golf Tournament.
Men’s Longest Drive: Matt Thompson
Dianne Spires won Women's KP at Gold Dust Potatoes' 16 Annual Open House Field Day Golf Tournament.
Women’s KP: Dianne Spires
Matt Huffman won the Men's KP at the Gold Dust Open House Field Day Golf Tournament.
Men’s KP: Matt Huffman
Tricia Hill, Suzy Frederickson, Dianne Spires & Tammie Staunton's team was last place at the 2016 Gold Dust Open House Field Day Golf Tournament.
Last Place Team: Tricia Hill, Suzy Frederickson, Dianne Spires & Tammie Staunton
Charles McElligott, Greg Addington, Weston Walker & Aaron Karp's team was second place at Gold Dust's 2016 Open House Field Day Golf Tournament.
Second Place Team: Charles McElligott, Greg Addington, Weston Walker & Aaron Karp
Duane "Sarge" Preston, Mike Henard, John Walker & Jared Marshall took home first place at the 16th Annual Gold Dust Open House Field Day Golf Tournament.
First Place Team: Duane “Sarge” Preston, Mike Henard, John Walker & Jared Marshall

Another tradition that has been taking place since 2013 was the fundraising held for Make-A-Wish. If you’ve visited this blog before, then you’re likely aware of Jan Walker and Katie Walker’s involvement in the local Make-A-Wish. For the last few years, there’s been a “Fireball Hole” dedicated to donations for Make-A-Wish, and at dinner Katie gives a presentation about some of the wishes that had been granted. Over the years our guests have generously opened their wallets and helped local kids get their wishes granted.

Katie Walker, Weston's wife, talks to Gold Dust's guests about Make-A-Wish at Reames Golf and Country Club.
Katie told Gold Dust’s guests about the good their past generosity has done for local Make-A-Wish kids
At the 2016 Open House Field Day dinner, Pape' Machinery was recognized by the Make-A-Wish Foundation for their generosity.
Make-A-Wish recognized the generosity of Pape’ Machinery. Well done, fellas!
Gold Dust Potatoes' guests pledged over $20,000 at the 16th Annual Open House Field Day dinner held at Reames Golf and Country Club near Klamath Falls, Oregon.
All of those raised hands helped push this year’s giving to Make-A-Wish to over $20,000. Well done, folks!

Back in 2013, we were thrilled that our guests along with Gold Dust raised $3,800.  2014 was even more exciting with $10,060 raised for area kids.  And we thought last year was even more incredible – $18,381 was raised between the Fireball Hole and the dinner presentation.  However, this year we broke another fundraising record for Make-A-Wish.  Between our guests and Gold Dust, $21,814 was pledged along with 150,000 airline miles!  We cannot thank our guests enough for their generosity in helping an organization that has become very important to Gold Dust.

Mike Carpenter, Lexi Crawford, Destiny Huffman, Drew Huffman, Matt Thompson, Sachin Rawat and Chance McAuliffe enjoy dinner at Reames Golf and Country Club during Gold Dust's 2016 Open House Field Day.
Smile! You too, Mike Carpenter!
Duane "Sarge" Preston thanking Bill Walker and John Walker for the memories at the 2016 Open House Field Day dinner.
Sarge, please say you’re coming back next year!
Bill Walker and John Walker thank their guests for attending Gold Dust Potatoes' 2016 Open House Field Day.
Bill and John saying thank you to our guests
Gold Dust's guests visit after dinner at the 2016 Open House Field Day.
A little after-dinner mingling at Reames

While the evening was filled with laughter and happy conversation, one chapter came to a close. Duane “Sarge” Preston, mentor to the farm on all things potato, announced this was his last trip for the Open House Field Day. For nearly 20 years, Sarge has helped John, Weston and the farm crews get a better understanding of what it takes to grow a great potato. From looking at plants to getting rid of pests, Sarge and John spent a lot of time out in the fields, and through those years he developed friendships with the Walker family. We will all miss his visits, advice and warm personality at our annual event. We do hope he makes it west again for a few more rounds of Crown and laughs!

Bill Walker, Sarge Preston, Paul Sproule and John Walker at the Reames Golf and Country Club for Gold Dust Potatoes' 2016 Open House Field Day.
Sarge, thank you for everything!

And as Sarge says, “Enjoy a potato product every day!”

Gold Dust Potato Processors' guests gather at Reames Golf & Country Club in Klamath Falls for the 16th annual Open House Field Day golf tournament.
Thank you to everyone who made our 2016 Open House Field Day memorable!

We’d like to thank everyone who was able to make it to our annual Open House Field Day. It’s a long ways to travel for field tours and golf, but to all who make it out, thank you not only for coming, but for helping Walker Brothers and Gold Dust continue to grow and thrive.

Filed Under: farm, Gold Dust Potato Processors, Make-A-Wish Oregon, open house field day, Organic Potatoes, potato customers, potato shed, Running Y Ranch, walker brothers

15th Annual Open House Field Day

September 8, 2015 By Gold Dust Farms 1 Comment

A sign at the Running Y Lodge welcomes Gold Dust Potato Processors and their guests for the 15th Annual Open House Field Day and Golf Scramble.
We had a great time at Gold Dust’s 15th Annual Open House Field Day and Golf Scramble!

Yes, Gold Dust did hold it’s annual Open House Field Day this year!

Despite an on-going drought and smoke being blown into the Basin from fires in California and from the other side of the hill near Grants Pass, Gold Dust’s 15th Annual Open House Field Day went off without a hitch.

This year the events kicked off on August 10th with dinner held at Bill and Jan’s home overlooking the Malin area.  Ken Hibbard, of RaboBank, treated their guests to an appetizer of fresh, grilled ahi along with a variety of cevechi, chips and other snacks provided by Jan to hold everyone’s appetites until Walker Brothers’ very own Bart Crawford got the steak fingers going.  The dinner before the Open House Field Day has become a low-key way to welcome our guests, and is as much a part of the tradition as shots of Crown on the golf course.

Ken Hibbard and Jan Walker at the Walker House in Malin, Oregon, before the 2015 Open House Field Day.
Thanks for the tasty treats, Ken and Jan!
Guests Ed Staunton and Mike Curoe visiting at Bill and Jan Walker's home the night before the 15th Annual Gold Dust Open House Field Day.
Guests visited and enjoyed a drinks at the Wecome Dinner at Bill and Jan’s house.
Weston Walker entertains Destiney and Drew Huffman and Aaron Karp at the Welcome Dinner before the Gold Dust's 2015 Open House Field Day.
We don’t know what Weston said, but it must have been good!

The next morning, Walker Brothers’ and Gold Dust’s guests were treated to breakfast at Mike & Wanda’s in Tulelake, California.  Greg Addington, Klamath Water Users Association, updated the group about the Klamath Basin’s water situation and how the drought is affecting area farmers.  Following Greg was Paul Sproule, who talked about agriculture, food safety and how much ag ground is getting swallowed up by urbanization.  While everyone enjoyed breakfast, Katie Walker, gave a presentation about the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  As you recall, last year Gold Dust and our guests raised $9,000 and 150,000 airline miles.  That granted quite a few wishes!

After breakfast was over, our guests made their way to our Malin potato packing shed where they could investigate the chipping potatoes we had on display for the field trials as well as tour the shed.  Just outside the shed, John Faus of HoneyComb put on a demonstration with one of the lastest AgDrone systems.  As the drone flew the alfalfa field, our guests could visit with Walker Brothers’ and Gold Dust’s managers while grabbing a new ball cap with our new logo for Gold Dust Organics.

Tricia Hill of Gold Dust and Walker Brothers talking business with Kira Bousquet during the packing shed tour at the 15th Annual Open House Field Day.
Tricia and Kira Bousquet discussing how the processing plant operates.
Gold Dust's chipping potato varieties on display in their packing shed during the 2015 Open House Field Day.
Those are some nice spuds!
Caleb Sundahl and Paul Sproule discussing potatoes at Gold Dust's Malin packing shed during the 2015 Open House Field Day.
Caleb and Paul talking potatoes.
John Walker and Matt Huffman talking in Gold Dust's packing shed during the 2015 Open House Field Day shed tour.
John and Matt checking out how well the chipping potatoes are frying up.
Weston Walker talking to guests from Nong Shim during the 2015 Open House Field Day.
There’s always time to talk business!
John Faus of Honeycomb Corp. launching a drone outside of Malin, Oregon, during Gold Dust's 2015 Open House Field Day. Photo by Chelsea Shearer.
John Faus of Honeycomb gave our group a drone demonstration.
Paul Sproule watches a drone make it's rounds over Gold Dust's alfalfa field during the 15th Annual Open House Field Day.
Can you still see it, Paul?
Honeycomb's drone lands in an alfalfa field during Gold Dust's 2015 Open House Field Day.
Incoming!

Then we were off to our farm at the Running Y Ranch for field tours.  Though the drought has affected many farms throughout the Klamath Basin, we’ve been fortunate enough to secure most of the Running Y and it’s rich, dark soil.  Between the soil, the sun, the favorable rain storms and good irrigation, the spuds John, Caleb and Sachin pulled from the ground were excellent examples of the quality of potato we’re able to grow.  Following the field tours, everybody stopped for lunch at the Running Y Ranch headquarters.

Grower Matt Huffman and John Walker dig up sample potatoes for Gold Dust's guests during the 2015 Open House Field Day farm tour. Photo by Chelsea Shearer.
Nice chippers, Matt and John!
Gold Dust's guests gather in a field at the Running Y Ranch to see chipping potatoes during the 15th Annual Open House Field Day.
Gold Dust’s guests gather to check out a field during the farm tour.
John Walker cuts open a chipping potato for Gold Dust's guests during the 2015 Open House Field Day farm tour.
John, that DOES look nice!
Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' agronomist Sachin Rawat brings more chipping potatoes for guests to see during the 2015 Open House Field Day farm tour.
Agronomist Sachin Rawat brings more samples to our guests.
Bill Walker, Gold Dust's CEO, talking to guests in a potato field on the Running Y Ranch during the 15th Annual Open House Field Day.
Bill talking to our guests about the soil quality on the Running Y Ranch.
Gold Dust's guests were treated to a sack lunch at the Running Y Ranch Headquarters during the 2015 Open House Field Day.
Lunch time at the Running Y Ranch Headquarters.
Aaron Karp of In-N-Out Burger and Hyosang Park of Nong Shim enjoying lunch at the Running Y Ranch during the 2015 Open House Field Day.
These gentlemen look happy!
Bill Walker, Tricia (Walker) Hill, Katie Walker and Lexi Crawford pose with a bag of Lay's potato chips at the Running Y Ranch headquarters.
Nice product placement, Tricia!

Of course it wouldn’t be a proper Open House Field Day without a round of golf!  Since we were already in that neck of the woods, everybody headed to the Running Y Resort to see which team could best the others in our annual golf scramble.  In the spirit of last year’s giving, one hole was dedicated for fundraising efforts to benefit Make-A-Wish.  Golfers could elect to buy a shot of Fireball, or, if they landed on the green, they’d get shot for free!

A bottle of Crown Royal nestled in a pile of chipping potatoes at Gold Dust's 15th Annual Open House Field Day Golf Scramble at the Running Y Lodge.
Methinks Crown Royal should pay us for advertising . . . .
Lexi Crawford, Brenda Walker, Destiney Huffman and Kathy Poppe enjoy a shot of Fireball on the Make-A-Wish hole during the 2015 Open House Field Day Golf Scramble.
These ladies know how to golf! No, seriously.
Billy Conrad, Vern Frederickson and Phil Browning at the Running Y Lodge golf course during Gold Dust's 2015 Open House Field Day Golf Scramble.
Easy there, Phil!

Toward 6 pm that evening, Gold Dust’s guests began to trickle in from the green where they were treated to dinner and drinks.  Bill and John thanked everybody who could make it, as well as recognized Lexi Crawford for her efforts in putting the day together.  Weston took the opportunity of having everyone gathered to make another pitch for Make-A-Wish, and again, our guests were generous.  Then Tricia and Lexi stepped up for the most anticipated part of the evening – to find out which team won and who took home the trophies!

Gold Dust's guests enjoying dinner at the Ranch House at the Running Y Resort after the Open House Field Day Golf Scramble.
Everyone having a nice time visiting during dinner.
Matt Thompson won the Longest Drive award during Gold Dust's 2015 Open House Field Day Golf Scramble.
Matt Thompson took home the honors for Men’s Long Drive.
Dianne Spires won Women's Long Drive and Jan Walker won Women's KP at Gold Dust's 2015 Open House Field Day Golf Scramble.
Dianne Spires won Women’s Long Drive while Jan Walker won Women’s KP.
Charlie McElligott, winner of Men's KP, poses with Megan Finney who came closer at Gold Dust's 2015 Open House Field Day Golf Scramble.
Charlie McElligott took home Men’s KP, though Megan Finney came closer!
Bill Schmeck, Bill Walker, Charlie McElligott and Ryan Pape won first place at Gold Dust's 2015 Open House Field Day Golf Scramble.
Here’s our first place team – Bill Schmeck, Bill Walker, Charlie McElligott and Ryan Pape!
Lexi Crawford and Brenda Walker toast their second place award at Gold Dust's 2015 Open House Field Day Golf Scramble.
Lexi Crawford and Brenda Walker’s team took second!
Dianne Spires, Suzi Frederickson and Jan Walker ended up in last place at Gold Dust's 15th Annual Open House Field Day Golf Scramble.
Still don’t see how Dianne Spires, Suzi Frederickson and Jan Walker came in last!
Danny Lopez, John Walker and Bart Crawford gather for a group photo at Gold Dust's Open House Field Day dinner.
You fellas look like you’re having a good time!

Every year, we have a great time showing potato packing shed and our fields to our customers and the partners who have helped us become the companies we have.  We hope everyone who was able to attend had a good time, and thank you to everybody who traveled from far and near to join us.  We look forward to seeing you next year!

Guests to Gold Dust Potato Processors' 15th annual Open House Field Day gather for a group photo at the Running Y Resort.
Thank you to everybody who made Gold Dust’s 15th Annual Open House Field Day another memorable experience! We hope to see you next year!

Filed Under: Gold Dust Potato Processors, Make-A-Wish Oregon, open house field day, Organic Potatoes, potato customers

Thanks For Helping Make-A-Wish Oregon

November 20, 2013 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

Mike Delisle of Mayo Mfg and Joe Dahlen of Crairie Industries give donations to Necia Phillips for Make-A-Wish Oregon at Gold Dust's annual Open House Field Day dinner.
Mike Delisle and Joe Dahlen open their check books for Make-A-Wish. Thanks, Mike and Joe!

Last month, in the midst of grain and potato harvest, Gold Dust made good on a fundraiser it held during the annual Open House Field Day.  As you may recall, Gold Dust took the opportunity of its annual event to not only focus on their fields and operations, but to also raise money for an organization that’s doing good for the community.  With Bill’s wife, Jan, Weston’s wife, Katie, and employee Necia Phillips helping make wishes come true for children with life-threatening illnesses, they chose Make-A-Wish Oregon as the organization they wanted to help.

And our guests stepped up and helped.  Throughout the Open House Field Day, guests generously pledged and donated a total of $1,900.  With all pledges received, Bill, John, Tricia and Weston decided to match what was raised and kicked in another $1,900, bringing the total to $3,800.  Considering the average wish costs $7,500 to grant, the generosity of the folks we do business with is going to go a long ways in making a wish come true.

We’re happy that our Open House Field Day was able to help out a worthy cause, and Bill, John, Weston and Tricia would like to thank everyone who came and decided to give.  It’s always great to see people travel all the way to the Klamath Basin to see what we do, but it’s even more wonderful to see the level of generosity and kindness of the people who help make our business great.

Before we wrap up this post, we’d like to encourage you to visit Make-A-Wish Oregon.  There, you can see ways to contribute, whether you decide to open your wallet, volunteer to grant wishes or find other ways to help.  And if you want to share out story, be sure to check out our press release.

Filed Under: community, customers and clients, Gold Dust Potato Processors, Make-A-Wish Oregon, open house field day

2013 Open House Field Day

September 16, 2013 By Gold Dust Farms Leave a Comment

Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' guests for their 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Now THIS is a gathering of smart and good-looking folks!

If you haven’t noticed, it’s our busy time of year again.  Harvest started in August, and we’re already shipping potatoes.  Even with all the action, last month, August 20th to be exact, we took a day to show off our fields and facilities for our 13th Annual Open House Field Day!

This year we had another successful Open House Field Day.  The day began at Mike and Wanda’s restaurant in Tulelake, CA, with a breakfast meeting.  While our guests enjoyed a hearty breakfast, Lexi Crawford gave a presentation about this year’s projects and where we’re headed.  After Lexi finished, Greg Addington, chief executive of the Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA), talked to the group about the water situation in the Klamath Basin.

We couldn’t call it a field day without actually visiting a field, so we headed out to two fields cared for by two of our growing partners – Huffman Brothers Farm and Staunton Family Farms.  Both fields were an excellent representation of the quality chipping potatoes we ship to our customers, and the experience of the Huffman and Staunton families is greatly appreciated by Gold Dust.  Once the field tours were finished, the group headed to our Malin processing plant.  This year, instead of just talking about potatoes and showing off our packing shed, we had a drone demonstration put on by John Faus and Ben Howard of HoneyComb Corporation, and a talk about protecting potatoes after harvest led by Lucie Grant of Jet Harvest Solutions.  We’ve never had presentations from outside companies that we’re working with, making this a first for our Open House Field Day.

For the UAV demonstration, the HoneyComb team launched a drone and programmed it fly over the chipping potato field just south of our solar panels.  As the UAV flew its flight path, our guests could watch the real-time flight on a large monitor and then check out NDVI photos afterwards.  Once the drone had landed and questions had been answered, everyone headed inside to hear how using organic, biological fungicides and pesticides could help potatoes last longer in storage.  After Lucie finished, the crowd gathered around the samples collected from the fields and enjoyed Subway sandwiches before heading to the Running Y.

Gold Dust Potatoes' guests gather for a UAV presentation by HoneyComb Corp.
Everyone ready for the air show?
Ben Howard of HoneyComb Corp launches a small drone over a field at Gold Dust's Malin, OR headquarters.
And we have take-off!
Matt Huffman and Howard Klassen of Huffman Brothers Farm watch a UAV flying over Gold Dust Potato Processors in Malin, OR.
Matt and Howard of Huffman Bros keep a close eye on the drone
HoneyComb Corporation's test drone comes in for a landing at Gold Dust's Malin, Oregon campus.
The UAV comes in for a landing
Ben Howard explains how the imagery captured and processed by HoneyComb can be used to Paul Sproule.
Ben Howard and Paul Sproule discuss the imagery collected by the drone
Vern and Chance Frederickson at Gold Dust's 2013 Open House Field Day.
Vern Frederickson and his son, Chance, at Gold Dust’s packing shed
Paul Sproule with his daughter, Annie, at Gold Dust's Malin, Oregon packing shed at the 2013 Open House Field Day.
Annie and Paule Sproule taking in the drone show
Lucie Grant of Jet Harvest Solutions discusses her company's line of organic, biological pesticides and fungicides at Gold Dust's 2013 Open House Field Day.
The crowd taking in Lucie Grant’s discussion of Jet Harvest’s organic bio-pesticides
Weston Walker and Duane "Sarge" Preston talking at Gold Dust Potatoes' processing plant in Malin, OR, at the 2013 Open House Field Day.
Looks like Sarge is giving Weston some sage advice!
Emmanual Rios and Sanjay Prasad look over chipping potato samples at Gold Dust's potato packing shed near Malin, Oregon.
I sure hope the Frito Lays guys are impressed!
Lexi Crawford and Nancy Kim at Gold Dust Potato Processors' 2013 Open House Field Day.
Smile, ladies!
Bill Walker discussing Gold Dust's chipping potatoes with Mike Henard, Tricia (Walker) Hill, Matt Huffman and Joe Dahlen at the 2013 Open House Field Day.
Bill talking chipping potatoes with Tricia and guests

Why did we head for the Running Y?  For the traditional golf scamble of course!  After a group photo and instructions were given, the teams headed to various holes on the course to see which would  bring home top (and bottom honors).  Following the scramble, our guests headed back into the club house for a tri-tip and chicken dinner and to learn which team was top, which team was bottom, and who took home the longest drive and closest to the pin.  So who did what?

1st Place: Paul Sproule, Eddie Staunton and Greg Addington

2nd Place: Matt Thompson, Patrick Hagen and Sanjay Prasad

Last Place:  Tricia (Walker) Hill, Annie Sproule, Maria Contreras and Katie Walker

Longest Drive (Women):  Nancy Reece

Longest Drive (Men):  Jared Marshall

Closest To The Pin (Women):  Nancy Reece (that’s not a typo – she’s that good!)

Closest To The Pin (Men):  Mr. Kim

After the scramble awards were given, our partners, Bill, John, Weston and Tricia, thanked everybody for coming and helping our business grow.  And with that, they presented long-time advisor and potato expert Duane “Sarge” Preston with a plaque and logo shirt to thank him for all of his years of advice and helping Gold Dust and Walker Brothers grow into the thriving businesses they are today.  They also took a moment to thank Lexi, Sarah Mendez and Necia Phillips for their hard work on putting on another terrific Open House Field Day.

Dan Jepsen loading chipping potatoes into cart driven by Trish Briones at the Running Y Ranch for Gold Dust Potatoes' 2013 Open House Field Day.
Bet you can’t guess how many times Dan was told he needed to clubs and not potatoes
Ken Hibbard tees off with a chipping potato at Gold Dust Potato Processors' 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Ken demonstrates his crushing power . . . on a potato
Mike Delisle hitting out of a sand trap at the Running Y Ranch golf course.
A little sand doesn’t scare Mike
Annie Sproule, Tricia Hill and Maria Contreras watch Katie Walker swing at the Running Y Ranch golf course.
Let ‘er rip, Katie!
Matt Huffman of Huffman Brothers Farm goes for a birdie at the Running Y Ranch golf course.
Matt is definitely going for the pin
Guests visit at the Pro Shop of the Running Y Ranch golf course for dinner at Gold Dust's 2013 Open House Field Day.
After a little golf, Gold Dust’s guests settle in for a little dinner
Matt Thompson, Patrick Hagan and Sanjay Prasad were the second place team at Gold Dust's 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble.
And here’s the second place team Matt, Pat and Sanjay
First place team Greg Addington, Eddie Staunton and Paul Sproule laugh as they pick up their trophy jackets at the Gold Dust Open House Field Day dinner at the Running Y lodge.
There’s nothing funny about first place, Greg, Eddie and Paul!
Maria Contreras, Tricia Hill, Katie Walker and Annie Sproule fanning the $400 prize they received for last place at the Gold Dust Open House Field Day golf scramble, which they later donated to Make-A-Wish Oregon.
They may have gotten last place in the scramble, but these ladies were first place in generosity of the teams
Mr. Kim won Men's KP (closest to the pin) at the 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble held by Gold Dust Potato Processors.
Mr. Kim is not only the best dressed, but also Men’s KP winner
Jared Marshall took home Men's Longest Drive honors at Gold Dust Potato Processors' 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Taking home Men’s Longest Drive is Jared “The Cannon” Marshall
Nancy Reece won both Women's KP and Women's Longest Drive at Gold Dust Potato Processors' 13th Annual Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Women’s KP AND Longest Drive Winner Nancy Reece (methinks someone is a ringer!)
The Walker family thanks their guests and employees at Gold Dust's 2013 Open House Field Day dinner at the Running Y Ranch.
John, Bill, Tricia and Weston thank their guests for their ongoing support. Thank you!
John Walker giving Duane "Sarge" Preston a plaque thanking him for his years of giving Walker Brother advice for growing chipping potatoes.
John thanks “Sarge” for his years of advice
John and Bill Walker present Duane "Sarge" Preston with a shirt embroidered with the Gold Dust company logo as a thank you gift for his many years of potato growing advice and guidance.
John and Bill give Sarge a company shirt. Thanks, Sarge!
Mike Delisle of Mayo Mfg and Joe Dahlen of Crairie Industries give donations to Necia Phillips for Make-A-Wish Oregon at Gold Dust's annual Open House Field Day dinner.
Mike Delisle and Joe Dahlen open their check books for Make-A-Wish. Thanks, Mike and Joe!
John Walker and guests visit at Gold Dust Potato Processors' 2013 Open House Field Day dinner.
It’s been a pretty good day, huh Mr. Walker?
Bill Walker and Patrick Hagan visiting at Gold Dust's Open House Field Day dinner, held at the Running Y Resort golf course pro shop.
Whether it’s whiskey or business, Bill and Patrick are having a serious talk

Another of the newest, and perhaps best, additions to the Open House Field Day was fundraising for Make-A-Wish Oregon.  As you may have read in a previous post about our sponsorship of Make-A-Wish Oregon, this organization has become dear to the Walker family and Gold Dust employees.  As Katie Walker, a Make-A-Wish wish granter, pointed out, the average wish costs $7,000 to grant.  Throughout the course of the day, Gold Dust’s guests and employees raised $1,900 for Make-A-Wish, including the $400 cash prize the last place team donated.  And more pledges are coming in!

Before we wrap up this post, Tricia, Weston, John and Bill would like to thank everybody for taking time from their busy schedules and joining us for our Open House Field Day.  They hope everyone had a good time and we’ll see everyone again next year.  And they’d be remiss if they didn’t give Lexi, Necia, Sarah, and Trish a big thanks for all of the help putting this event together and on the day itself.  Thank you, ladies!

Gold Dust and Walker Brothers' guests for their 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Now THIS is a gathering of smart and good-looking folks!
A team photo of Nancy Reece, Jan Walker, Suzi Frederickson and Dianne Spires at the Gold Dust Potato Processors 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Nancy Reece, Jan Walker, Suzi Frederickson and Dianne Spires
A team photo of Katie Walker, Tricia Hill, Maria Contreras and Annie Sproule at the 2013 Gold Dust Potatoes Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Katie Walker, Tricia (Walker) Hill, Maria Contreras and Annie Sproule
Kathy Poppe, Lexi Crawford, Tifanie Chavez and Brenda Walker pose for a team photo at Gold Dust Potato Processors' Open House Field Day golf scramble at the Running Y Ranch golf course.
Kathy Poppe, Lexi Crawford, Tifanie Chavez and Brenda Walker
A team photo of Cory Thompson, Howard Klassen, Rich Wright and Eric Jackson at the Running Y Ranch golf course for Gold Dust Potatoes' 2013 Open House Field Day.
Corey Thompson, Howard Klassen, Rich Wright and Eric Jackson
Weston Walker, Ken Hibbard, Mike Henard and Mr. Park stop for a team photo at the Gold Dust Potato Processors' 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Weston Walker, Ken Hibbard, Mike Henard and Mr. Park
A team photo of Bill Whitman, Jared Marshall, John Walker and Duane "Sarge" Preston at Gold Dust Potato Processors' 13th Annual Open House Field Day.
Bill Whitman, Jared Marshall, John Walker and Duane “Sarge” Preston
Nancy Kim, Bill Walker, Mr. Kim and Sunny Kang at the 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble held by Gold Dust Potato Processors.
Nancy Kim, Bill Walker, Mr. Kim and Sunny Kang
A team photo of Sanjay Prasad, Matt Thompson and Patrick Hagan at Gold Dust Potatoes' 13th Annual Open House Field Day.
Sanjay Prasad, Matt Thompson and Patrick Hagan
A team photo of Darcy Hill, Mike Delisle, Emmanuel Rios and Matt Huffman at Gold Dust Potatoes' 2013 Open House Field Day.
Darcy Hill, Mike Delisle, Emmanuel Rios and Matt Huffman
A group photo of Greg Addington, Paul Sproule and Eddie Staunton at Gold Dust Potato Processors' 13th Annual Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Greg Addington, Paul Sproule and Eddie Staunton
Vern Frederickson, Joe Dahlen, Dave Reece and Sid Staunton pose for a team photo at Gold Dust's 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble at the Running Y Ranch.
Vern Frederickson, Joe Dahlen, Dave Reece and Sid Staunton
Ron Marshall, Marshall Staunton, Steve Parkinson, Lucie Grant and Danny Lopez pose with Gold Dust employees Sarah Mendez and Trish Briones at the 2013 Open House Field Day golf scramble.
Ron Marshall, Sarah Mendez, Marshall Staunton, Trish Briones, Steve Parkinson, Lucie Grant and Danny Lopez
Daniel Jepsen, Bart Crawford and Marc Staunton pose for a team photo at the 13th Annual Open House Field Day for Gold Dust Potato Processors.
Daniel Jepsen, Bart Crawford and Marc Staunton

Filed Under: awards & recognition, chipping potatoes, community, customers and clients, Gold Dust Potato Processors, Make-A-Wish Oregon, open house field day, potato shed, walker brothers

Support Walk For Wishes – We Did!

March 12, 2013 By Gold Dust Farms 1 Comment

Make-A-Wish Oregon Walk For Wishes Logo
Join Katie at Make-A-Wish Oregon’s Walk For Wishes in Salem, OR, on April 20th!

For many of us, it’s hard to imagine what it would feel like to have a child with a life-threatening medical condition.  The pain of medical treatments is only compounded by the child recognizing they’re not getting to have the same life as other kids their age.  And as a parent, you’d appreciate those precious few moments when they don’t think about being a “sick kid”, to forget about the hospitals and doctors and just be a kid.  That’s where the Make-A-Wish Foundation comes in.

Katie Walker, Weston’s wife, has been involved with Make-A-Wish Oregon for about a year and a half.  In that time, she’s had the privilege to work with other volunteers to make five wishes come true – and is currently working on a “Princess Wish” for a Klamath Falls girl!  However, in order to make these wishes come true, it requires help and support.

One of the fundraisers Make-A-Wish Oregon puts on is Walk For Wishes.  Their goal is to raise $40,000 to help grant wishes for local children.  Held in Salem on Saturday, April 20th, participants will not only get to help raise money for the local Make-A-Wish Foundation but also get to meet kids who’ve had their wishes come true.  The walk will only take a few hours, and participants get t-shirts and are eligible for prizes.  Sounds like a lot of fun and a great way to help kids!

If you want to support Walk For Wishes, there are several ways you can.  First, you can participate in the event.   Don’t have time, but still want to help Make-A-Wish Oregon reach it’s goal?  You can sponsor a participant (like Katie!), give a donation (be sure to click the “Give Now” button on the right-hand side), or check out the sponsorship opportunities (which is what Gold Dust did).  Regardless of how you decide to help, one of the best parts is the money raised by this event is helping kids in Oregon.

We’re proud Katie is participating in Walk For Wishes and happy to contribute.  And if you do happen to make it to Salem on April 20th, be sure to tell Katie, Roni (Bill and Jan’s daughter; Tricia and Weston’s sister), Rory and Mari (Tricia’s daughters) hello!

Filed Under: community, Gold Dust Potato Processors, Make-A-Wish Oregon

From Our Farm Blog

  • 2021 Employee Picnic & BBQ
  • Here You Go – Weston’s Organic Potato Chips!
  • We Need Some Elves!
  • Looking for a job?
  • Klamath Ag Leaders Meet with Secretary Bernhardt and Commissioner Burman

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Looking for a job? Check out our current Employment Opportunities!

Our farm keeps growing – and it’s planting season – which means we have a lot of openings. From jobs on our farm to office positions in Malin, we’re looking for dedicated, diligent folks to join our team.

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