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Sklarczyk Seed Farm recognized for export growth
A potato seed farm in Northern Michigan says becoming hydroponic has eliminated soil-borne disease pressure and made their products more ideal for the export market.
“It allows us to control the size that we harvest more unique that way.”
Third-generation grower Ben Sklarczyk tells Brownfield says one of the most difficult challenges has been marketing products without a national potato seed standard.
“Because there are different issues in every state, they’re having a hard time coming to an agreement on what should be a unified standard, where most foreign countries have a unified system.”
The company increased exports 16 percent from 2016 to 2018 with nearly half of exports going to Canada, Egypt, Chile, Thailand, Germany, and Brazil. Sklarczyk credits the growth to improved customer relationships and a desire to support their local community.
Sklarczyk Seed Farm was recently named the 2019 Michigan Ag Exporter of the Year by the Department of Agriculture.
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