Like so many other growers, Dan Moss can’t imagine himself doing anything else. He’s always farmed and been deeply involved in agriculture, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
That’s why, 34 years ago, he moved his family and operation from northern Utah to southern Idaho’s Magic Valley. “Where we farmed down there was all turning into houses,” he says. “I wanted to farm, so we had to leave to keep doing that.”
To put it mildly, the move seems to have worked out for the Mosses. “When I was in high school just helping Dad, we had about 1,000 acres,” says Dan’s son and partner Ryan, who was 6 years old when the family moved to Idaho. “It’s just slowly grown. Now we’re just over 12,000 acres.”
With headquarters in Rupert, Moss Farms’ 12,000 acres comprise five management areas spanning some 100 miles: two in the Mini-Cassia area separated by the Snake River; the West farm in Hazelton and Bliss; the East farm in Raft River; and a seed farm in Sublett. Potatoes are their primary crop, but they also grow sugarbeets, corn and small grains. “On top of that we’ve got our own applicator business,” says Ryan. “We run a full-time sprayer and a full-time fertilizer spreader. It takes care of all our needs and then does custom work on the side.”
And on top of that, the Moss family owns and operates Arrowhead Potato Company, a packing shed they acquired in 2007. Arrowhead sits right across the road from the company offices in Rupert. “It’s primarily our potatoes,” Dan says of Arrowhead’s product. “We do have a few local growers providing potatoes but the majority comes from our farms.” Arrowhead ships its fresh potatoes all over the U.S., with big customers in the South and along the Eastern Seaboard.
With all the growth the Mosses have experience over the years, it’s logical to wonder how much more they can expand. Ryan Moss simply shrugs and smiles at the notion. He says that the company is able to supply all its customers right now and do a good job of it; they’re not looking to grow for the time being. “Right this minute, we’re pretty comfortable,” he says. “We have a great team of employees and that’s part of the success of our operation. I’ve seen plenty of wrecks with farms growing too fast. We’ve tried to keep it to when we do grow it’s at a slow and steady pace. We wouldn’t shy away from opportunity, but we’re not exactly pursuing it.”
These days, with Ryan taking care of most of the on-the-ground farm operations, Dan’s role consists primarily of running the packing shed and taking care of the companies’ finances. But don’t think he’s taking it easy. Dan Moss is currently in his sixth and final year of service as chairman of the Idaho Potato Commission and has been a committed supporter of the Commission’s now-famous Great Big Idaho Potato Truck tour. Always a proponent of industry involvement and support, he has also been or is currently deeply involved in the USDA’s Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee, the Alliance for Potato Research and Education, and the Canada-U.S. Potato Trade Panel, among others. Dan firmly believes that the success or failure of the agriculture industry depends on individual growers and processors being actively engaged in issues that affect the industry. And he backs it up with his own involvement.
The Moss recipe for success may not be for everyone, but it has certainly yielded spectacular results for them. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more Idahoan than Dan and Ryan Moss and their families. You might as well stamp the same seal on their chests as is on the thousands of boxes shipped out of Arrowhead Potato Company each week: ““Certified 100% Idaho.”
It couldn’t be any truer.