Double N Potatoes: Making a premium crop work

Potato field and Double N Spud truck. Courtesy of Double N Potatoes.

The success of Double N Potatoes is rooted in a small red potato.

The late Norm Nelson Sr., the farm’s founder, began growing white potatoes in the 1930s and 1940s, when Skagit County farms were smaller and dairies were numerous.

Always in search of crops that flourished in Skagit’s growing conditions, Norm Sr. decided to branch out into red potatoes. These versatile spuds could be fried, baked, or boiled; stored well; and grew with a deep red color in Skagit County soil.

When red potatoes took off in the 1980s, Norm and his sons were ahead of the curve. “People who had never grown potatoes tried the reds, and the county went from three or four growers to a dozen,” says Jerry Nelson, president of Double N Potatoes, also known as Norm Nelson, Inc. 

By 2020, 12,000 of the county’s 89,000 acres of farmland were in red, yellow, and purple potatoes, generating more than $70 million for growers. The trifecta of a cool marine climate, excellent soil, and sufficient moisture helped Skagit County become known for premium spuds.

“Potatoes are a high-end crop that can provide a good return and cover the high cost of growing them, but it takes a lot of people and equipment to make them work,” says Jerry.

It also takes a lot of land.

Mount Baker in the distance, as seen from the Nelson's farm in Bow, Washington. Courtesy of Potato Growers Magazine.

Today, Double N farms from Sedro-Woolley northwest to Blanchard, throughout the Bow/Edison area and south to La Conner, but the operation was small when it started four generations back. To make ends meet in the early 1900s, Norm Sr.’s father Emil built barns, farmed oats and ran a threshing crew that harvested other farmers’ grain. The operation was not large enough to support Norm Sr. and his brothers, so they began their own farms.

Growing up, Jerry wanted to help on the farm, but he also really wanted to fly. “I hitched a ride in a two-seater crop-duster when I was in the fourth grade,” he remembers, “and that was it. Plus, Dad never seemed interested in me farming. I was surprised when he turned out to be. I’ve been able to farm and fly.” 

Jerry’s son Ryan Nelson, Double N’s farm manager, stuck to the ground, hitching rides on field tractors and becoming an equipment operator at 16. “I got a lot of on-the-job training,” he remembers, “learning from people with a vast knowledge of agriculture.”

Ryan (left) and Jerry Nelson inspect potato plants by hand. Courtesy of Potato Growers Magazine.

Some of them are field men from Wilbur Ellis, AgChem, and Skagit Farmers Supply. These three agronomy companies “offer crop suggestions, do soil samples, tell us how much nitrogen and zinc is in the soil, and partner with us to keep the ground as healthy as possible,” says Ryan Nelson. “We have in-depth talks about where we are on our crop. They are instrumental on plant vigor and health.” 

Besides these plant scientists, the Double N team includes mechanics, equipment operators and truck drivers—all “career farmers”, says Ryan Nelson, who enjoy the long hours and heavy work. “Office farmers” like Chief Financial Officer Ryan Schols handle finances, marketing, sales, and manage the potato shed.

In August, about 37 people are on the payroll, maintaining equipment, and irrigating, cultivating and managing potatoes and other crops in the ground. 

A handful of fresh potatoes, plucked from the ground on the Nelson's farm. Courtesy of Potato Growers Magazine.

When harvest begins in September, the team swells to 80, including seasonal truck drivers and packing shed staff. In a dry fall, potatoes can be dug into November. A wet fall can halt digging by early October–leaving hundreds of thousands of potatoes in the mud. 

The work continues through the winter, as machinery is serviced and repaired and potatoes are sold and shipped. Some are sold fresh, while others can be stored until April or May. Potatoes are washed, graded for quality, and stored by variety. “Every package that we ship has a label that tells us what field that potato came from,” says Ryan Schols. “If there were a recall situation, we could quarantine that field or discover other glitches.”

Potatoes in storage can be vulnerable, too. Ryan Nelson and others continually check the humidity, temperature and air flow through the enormous piles, monitoring the climate control system by phone or by checking conditions from the tops of piles and catwalks. “You want to make sure nothing is going wrong,” he says—like potatoes that are rotting, breaking down or getting pressure bruises under the weight of each 15-foot tall pile.

Ryan Nelson in the Double N potato shed, with Nelson farmland behind him. Courtesy Hoffman.

Double N Potatoes are sold nationwide as well in Canada and some Asian countries. They’re also available at their Burlington Potato Shed Retail Store starting at $15 for a 50-pound box. “People come from as far as Idaho and Montana and stock up, buying 20 boxes to distribute in church, family, neighborhood,” says Schols. “They tell us they’re good potatoes.”

Time flies for potato farmers, says Ryan Nelson. “There are so many aspects to what this farm is doing, you can’t sit still for a minute. But seeing the whole process all the way through and getting the potatoes to the marketplace brings a real sense of accomplishment.”

The cycle starts again in early winter, when Jerry and Ryan Nelson determine where to plant the coming season’s crop. “We have to carry a large land base so we can rotate crops as needed," says Jerry. “In any given year, 25 percent of our land is in potatoes and 75 percent is getting ready for potatoes. We also grow corn, black dry beans, grain, and some grass, which builds up the health of the soil.”

For the most part, they own the land they farm—some of it for more than three generations. When land they rent comes up for sale, Double N turns to the Skagit County Farmland Legacy Program to make the numbers work. Under this program, a landowner can be compensated for “extinguishing” the right to build a house on agricultural land. From the Nelsons’ point of view, houses are a threat to the future of local agriculture. Without a critical base of farmland, says Jerry Nelson, “we may lose the agronomy companies, equipment dealerships and other infrastructure that help make agriculture possible.”

Arial view of Nelson Koetje property near Edison, Washington, some of the 1500 acres protected for farming by Double N.

Double N has protected about 1500 acres of farmland—more than any other farm in the county, and about ten percent of all the acres under a conservation easement.

Today, most of those acres are devoted to yellow potatoes, which are eclipsing reds in the global marketplace. Even Jerry Nelson and Ryan Schols now prefer their flavor–Jerry the yellow Satina, and Ryan the Natascha.  

“I’m 81 years old and we’re still expanding this farm,” says Jerry Nelson. “I want to continue farming, and I want to see agriculture stay here in Skagit County.”

“My father has built something special,” says Ryan Nelson, “and I’m proud to be part of it.”

Jerry Nelson will honored on Saturday, September 20th, for his commitment to Skagit agriculture and leadership in farmland conservation. Join us at the 27th Celebrate Skagit Harvest Dinner and Auction to raise awareness and funds for farmland protection. https://www.skagitonians.org/harvestdinner

Story by Anne Basye: info@skagitonians.org