Meet Diane Dallas—the real live person that the Diane sweetpotato is named after.
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grower
You could say that sweetpotatoes are in Amberly Ralls’s blood. Her father, Nathan Mininger, has been farming sweetpotatoes for 35 years, right here in California.
“My dad and uncle started together back in 1988,” says Pete Kandola. “It’s always been a family business.”
Tony Ferrario got his start in sweetpotatoes like a lot of folks born and raised in Atwater, California—he married into the business.
“Growing sweetpotatoes isn’t for the faint of heart,” says Sarah Alvernaz. And she ought to know. Sarah is General Manager and Sales for California Sweet Potato Growers, plus she and her husband Matt farm about 130 acres.
If you’ve ever had a California sweetpotato on your plate, there’s a good chance that Jeremy Fookes, in charge of sales at AV Thomas Produce, helped put it there.
Don’t be fooled by his youthful appearance—although he’s only 28, Chauncey Koehn has plenty of experience as a sweetpotato farmer. He represents his family’s fourth generation in the business.
Even though Joel Ackerknecht has a long history in farming, he’s relatively new to sweetpotatoes. It was only five years ago that DM Camp & Sons tapped him to oversee the startup of their sweetpotato operation.
You wouldn’t know from looking at him that Jack Smith—here with his wife Jo and their trusty sidekick Darcy—used to be an accountant. But today, along with his partner J. Michael Hennigan, Jack owns Quail H Farms.
Meet Donald and Mike Valpredo, the father and son team behind Country Sweet Produce and the Bako Sweet brand. They farm over 1,200 acres of sweetpotatoes—about of half of which are organic—along with onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, and melons.
It all began in 1972, when Manuel Vieira (left) visited California from Brazil to attend a wedding. Back then, his uncle, Antonio Vieira Tomas, had a farming business in the Livingston area. Manuel liked what he saw and stayed.
Meet the Silveira family. Together, they represent the fourth and fifth generation of Silveira family farmers.
Asked what he likes best about farming, Francisco will tell you he simply likes being out in the fields, on the land.
Meet Aaron Silva (left to right), his dad Stan, and brother Ben. Together, they represent two generations of a four-generation sweetpotato family.
“As the only agriculturally minded son-in law, I was invited to join the operation in 1984,” says Robert. Rodolfo Rosas—who Robert affectionately calls “mi mano derecho”—started about the same time.
D & S Farms is a multi-generational sweetpotato operation in Atwater, California. David Souza, top right, is joined by son David (left), business partner Michael Duarte (bottom left), and Michael’s son-in-law, Brian Carter (right).
"I love watching sweetpotatoes come out of the ground and up the chain of the harvester," says Craig Arnold of Arnold Farms, pictured here with his wife and kids—Amanda, Addisyn, and Tavin. "It's nice to see the results of the year's hard work."
Adam Shaner is Farm Manager for Quail H Farms of Livingston, California. He overseas the growing seasons of several crops, including about 750 acres of sweetpotatoes, both conventional and organic.
Say hello to Jason Tucker, sweetpotato farmer, husband, and proud dad of four daughters. Jason farms 350 acres in California’s Merced County. He also keeps busy through volunteer work, both at church and the girls’ school, and attends as many of their sporting events as possible. “We are a very active family,” he says.
Matt Alvernaz is a 4th generation sweetpotato farmer and grandson of one of California’s sweetpotato pioneers, “Sweetpotato Joe” Alvernaz. “Farming isn’t the easiest path, but it’s the life we love,” says Matt.
