NoKota Packers, Inc.

11/06/2026

🥔😴 BEHIND THE SPUDS | SLEEP TIGHT, LITTLE SPUDS!

Ever wonder how potatoes harvested in the fall can still be available for your dinner table months later?

Well, there's a little more to it than keeping them cool and turning off the lights! 😉

Even after harvest, potatoes are still living. And eventually, they naturally want to do what potatoes do...**SPROUT! 🌱

But when you're storing millions of pounds of potatoes for months at a time, keeping those sprouts under control is a pretty important job!

That's where a little behind-the-scenes science comes in!

🥔 **ENTER THE SPROUT INHIBITOR!**

At NoKota, we use a sprout inhibitor called **CIPC**, sometimes known as *Sprout Nip*, to help prevent sprouting during long-term storage.

Here's how it works at our facility:

❄️ FIRST, WE COOL THINGS DOWN!
After harvest, our potatoes go through a carefully managed cooling process. Once all our storage bins are filled, closed, and the crop has had time to settle, we're ready for the next step.

🚛 THEN COMES THE SPECIALIZED TRAILER!
A licensed professional brings in equipment designed to apply the sprout inhibitor. A hose connects the trailer to our storage building, where the treatment is introduced as a fog and distributed through the storage airflow system.

📅 TIMING MATTERS!
Our first application typically takes place about 21 days after all the storage doors are closed. Additional treatments are carefully planned based on potato condition, sprout development, storage needs, and professional recommendations.

Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day are two familiar times on our sprout-control calendar!

🔒 SAFETY FIRST!
The process is handled by a licensed applicator following established safety and application requirements. Our facility is closed to personnel during treatment and overnight afterward, with normal operations resuming the following morning once the applicable requirements have been met.

❤️ SO WHY DO WE DO IT?
Keeping sprouts under control helps us preserve potato quality, reduce unnecessary losses, and continue supplying Red River Valley potatoes throughout our wash season.

It's one more example of the work that happens long after harvest is complete.

🥔 HARVEST COMPLETE. THE CARE CONTINUES.

11/06/2026

🥔 FUN FACT FRIDAY | Why Store Them Dirty?

If we're eventually going to wash potatoes anyway, why not wash them before they go into storage?

Because adding unnecessary moisture isn't something we want before long-term storage.

Potatoes come out of the field with soil attached and head into storage unwashed. Their bath waits until they're ready to head through the washplant.

That Red River Valley dirt may not look grocery-store ready...

but right after harvest, dirty is exactly how we want them.

The bath comes later! 💦🥔

11/06/2026

🥔❤️ SPUD LIFE RECIPE SERIES | FROM OUR GROWERS' KITCHENS

Five generations of farming. One family-favorite recipe.

Some of the best potato recipes aren't found in cookbooks. They're the ones passed down through generations, shared around family tables, and made with a whole lot of love.

As part of our Heart of NoKota Grower Feature highlighting Grotte Farms of Thompson, ND, the family shared one of their favorites: Sharon Myron's “Never Fail Scalloped Potatoes!”

Creamy, comforting, and made with simple ingredients, this is the kind of recipe that never goes out of style.

🥔 Sharon's Never Fail Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:
- ½ cup butter
- 8 tablespoons flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 8 cups peeled, sliced potatoes
- 2 cups milk
- Pepper, to taste

Optional additions: Diced onions, garlic, ham, or bacon.

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a pan. Add flour and stir briskly.
2. Add the milk, stirring continuously. Cook until thickened.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Place thinly sliced, peeled potatoes in cold water and soak for at least 10 minutes. Drain, rinse again, and drain thoroughly.
5. Place potatoes in a casserole dish. Pour the thickened white sauce over them and mix well.
6. Bake at **350°F for approximately 1½ hours**.

❤️ A special thank-you to the Grotte family for sharing a little piece of their family kitchen with ours!

Good food. Deep roots. Great family traditions.
Keep it simple. Keep it spuds.

11/05/2026

❤️🥔 THE HEART OF NOKOTA | MEET OUR GROWERS

Last time, we shared how the Grotte family's farming story began in 1934. Today, we're introducing the people carrying that legacy forward!

In 1986, Kelly and Joni (Myron) Grotte joined the family operation alongside Duane Myron and Tim and Char Myron.

Andrew and Adrian joined in 2013, and in 2019, when two separate farms were formed, Collin and Tonya became part of the Grotte Farms team.

Today, Andrew and Collin share management responsibilities, while Kelly continues to lend his experience and guidance. All three remain involved in the farmwork.

Adrian and Tonya play important roles behind the scenes, managing bills, payroll, and GAP paperwork and audits.

And family isn't the only thing that makes this operation special. Some of the farm's working relationships span generations, too!

Norris Loiland worked on the farm for 50 years. His sons Jerry, Jon, and Jeff have all helped during harvest over the years, and grandson Dan has continued that tradition for 25 years!

The family also credits their many other employees, including three recent team members from South Africa.

As the Grottes put it, "We couldn't do it without them!"

Today, Grotte Farms grows red and yellow potatoes, sugarbeets, dry beans, soybeans, and corn.

Of course, farming isn't without its challenges. Weather and market prices are often beyond a grower's control. But for the Grottes, the greatest reward is producing potatoes that customers are happy to receive.

And we're especially proud that Grotte Farms has been growing potatoes for NoKota for approximately 20 years!

Their family shared something that means a great deal to us:

"We appreciate open communication, and the value NoKota has for our potatoes, as well as their care for them after they leave the field! NoKota has been a big part in growing our farm to what it is today!"

That relationship goes both ways. We're grateful for the trust our growers place in us and proud to be part of their story.

When we asked the Grottes what farming means to their family, their answer captured it beautifully:

"Farming to our family is experiencing the beauty and the miracle of growing what God has created! It is a privilege to farm in the Red River Valley!"

❤️ Five generations. Decades of dedication. And a shared commitment to growing quality potatoes.

Thank you, Grotte family, for being part of The Heart of NoKota!

Every Potato Has a Story. Every Grower Is Part of Ours.

11/04/2026

💦🥔 BEHIND THE SPUDS | Meet the Flume

We've followed our potatoes from the field → receiving → storage.

Now it's time to get them back out.

And their first ride through the NoKota washplant?
The flume.

Potatoes move from storage into a water-filled system that gently carries them toward the wash line.

Why water?
It helps cushion the potatoes as they're transported, minimizing hard drops and unnecessary bruising while beginning to loosen some of that rich Red River Valley soil.

Depending on where they enter the system, a potato may spend approximately 1–10 minutes traveling through the flume.

It may look like potatoes simply floating through water.

But there's a purpose behind it:
Gentle handling. Efficient movement. Protecting quality.

Welcome to the washplant.

11/03/2026

🥔❤️ ROOTED IN THE VALLEY. A STORY WORTH TELLING.

There's something pretty special about the Red River Valley — and we're always excited when our little corner of the world gets some well-deserved attention!

We're proud to see NoKota Packers featured in the latest article, Red River Valley Potatoes: A Story Worth Telling.

From our rich black soil and generations of family farmers to the red and yellow potatoes that make their way to tables across the country, there's a whole lot of history, hard work, and heart behind every spud.

And while we might be a little biased, we think the people behind these potatoes are just as special as the potatoes themselves! ❤️

A big thank-you to Produce Business for helping share the story of our region, our growers, and the industry we're so proud to be part of.

Real Potatoes. Real People. Real Commitment.

📖 Read the full story:
https://producebusiness.com/red-river-valley-potatoes-a-story-worth-telling/

The land straddling the border between Minnesota and North Dakota is blessed with a combination of geologic and climate advantages that make it particularly suitable for growing flavorful and nutrient-dense potatoes.

11/02/2026

🚜🥔 THAT'S A WRAP! HARVEST 2026 IS OFFICIALLY COMPLETE! 🎉

The last loads rolled in late last night and into the early morning hours, and just like that...another Red River Valley potato harvest is in the books!

This year's harvest brought its share of challenges. A later start, some unpredictable growing conditions, and plenty of long days. But through it all, our growers and our NoKota team kept pushing forward.

🌱 To our growers: THANK YOU! For the long hours, hard work, dedication, and care you put into growing the potatoes we are so proud to pack. We know the work starts long before the first potato is harvested, and we appreciate the trust you place in NoKota year after year.

🚜 To Ryne, our Field Representative: THANK YOU for the countless hours spent in the fields, checking quality, collecting samples, coordinating with growers, and helping keep everything moving from the field to our facility. Your work is an important part of making harvest happen!

❄️ To Christopher, our Storage, Transportation & Facilities Manager: THANK YOU for the constant attention and care that goes into getting millions of pounds of potatoes safely into storage! While Mother Nature may have made cooling a little easier this year, there's still plenty of monitoring, checking, adjusting, and problem-solving involved in getting the crop cooled down and settled in. And the work doesn't stop there!

❤️ And to our entire NoKota crew: Thank you for the teamwork, flexibility, and long hours that go into receiving and caring for this year's crop.

But while harvest may be over, our work is far from done!

❄️ NOW WE ENTER FULL STORAGE SEASON!

With our potatoes tucked away in storage, the focus shifts to carefully managing temperatures, humidity, and airflow to protect the quality of the crop throughout the months ahead.

From the fields of the Red River Valley to our storage bins in Buxton, every step matters.

Here's to another harvest completed, another season underway, and the incredible people who make it all possible!

🥔❤️ Rooted in the Valley. Committed to Quality.

11/02/2026

🥔 TATER NUTRITION TIDBIT | Naturally Sodium-Free

Before the salt shaker, cheese, gravy or other toppings enter the picture...
A plain potato is naturally sodium-free.

It's another reason we like separating the potato itself from all the different ways we prepare it.

The humble potato starts pretty simply.
What happens next is up to the cook! 🥔

11/02/2026

🎉🥔 5 Years of Growing with NoKota! 🥔🎉

Help us celebrate Maria’s 5-year work anniversary! 👏

Maria started her journey at NoKota as a grader, and she hasn’t stopped learning and growing since! Today, she’s taking on new challenges and responsibilities, running our make tote line and one of our packaging lines! 💪

Her willingness to learn, step up, and grow with our team is exactly what makes NoKota strong!

And after five years of working with potatoes, Maria knows one thing for sure… some spuds just have a little more personality than others! 🤣🥔 (See photo evidence! 📸)

Thank you, Maria, for 5 years of hard work, dedication, and being part of our Spud Squad! We’re lucky to have you!

11/01/2026

IT'S BACK!!!

🥔❤️ IMPERFECT POTATOES. PERFECT PURPOSE. ❤️🥔

Not every potato is picture-perfect. Some are a little too big, a little too small, or just a little different.

But at NoKota Packers, we believe **Every Potato Has a Purpose!**

And throughout November and December, our Imperfect Potatoes have an EXTRA special purpose!

We're offering **10-pound bags of Imperfect Potatoes for a suggested $3 donation per bag** — and donating **ALL proceeds to local food pantries!** ❤️

Give $3, give a little more, or give what you can. Every contribution helps support our neighbors and communities during the holiday season.

🥔 Good potatoes.
❤️ A great cause.
🙌 A community that cares.

Stop by NoKota Packers in Buxton, ND, and help us turn imperfect potatoes into something pretty special!

**Because a potato doesn't have to be perfect to make a difference.** ❤️