BMancaster Farming, Saturday, June 8, 1991
Sunshine, Rain
Sprout Potatoes,
Love At Keener
Farm
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
ELIZABETHTOWN (Lancas
ter Co.) J. Williard Keener is
keeping a close eye on his potato
fields these days. So far, 1991
appears to be a good crop year.
While many areas have been hot
and dry, the Keener potato fields
have had several heavy rains.
“Sunshine and ram make the
potatoes grow,” Keener said.
Crops aren’t the only thing that
grows from sunshine and rain.
Keener and his wife Barb find mar
riage relationships are enhanced
through joys and disappointments
in life.
In February, Barb was the win
ner m the county Pennsylvania
Farmers’ Association Sweetheart
Contest. She penned the following
words to describe “love” that has
blossomed a 10 year marriage and
produced three sons, Jonathan, 6;
Joshua, 4; and Moses, 20 months.
HOW DO I SPELL LOVE?
It's saying your clothes are
shrinking when they seem to be
getting tight.
It’s washing out diapers for me
when I’ve fallen behind.
It says “you're gorgeous,"
when I just looked in the mirror
and thought my hair needs
washing.
It's encouraging me to try some
thing different, letting me make an
investment, and taking time off to
help set up.
It's saying it wasn't that bad
when I've failed.
It's taking two little boys in the
"big truck" to give me a break.
It’s staying out in the car with
three little boys while I run in and
out of stores.
It's praying for things that are
on my mind.
It's gentle, kind, faithful and
stow to anger
It's Willyl
ELih said writing the winning
cnti> was easy because s h c had a
good subject
A happy marriage is a j nonty
for the Kec , a.
“You can’t have a good mar
riage without a commitment,”
Keener said.
The couple arc so adament of
this principal that in their wedding
vows they said, “May God deal
with us scvcrly if any thing but
death would part us.”
While the couple said that simi
lar backgrounds and expectations
coupled with the strength of both
sets of their parents’ marriages
built a good foundation, they know
tha, marriage sometimes causes
disagreements.
Wfamesfead
t/l/etes
Keener’s advice at these
moments are “Don’t be afraid to go
for counseling. Go early. It is bet
ter not to wait until disaster hits.”
Barb agreed.
She emphasized that having a
personal relationship with the Lord
is a big plus in marriage. She said,
“When I don’t have the answer, I
can pray and God will help. God
has wisdom we don’t have. He can
change things that we think are
impossible to change.”
When first married, the Keeners
spent eight months in missionary
work in Texas, Colorado, and
Mexico under the auspices of
Youth With A Mission. Barb
taught at an Hopi Indian reserva
tion for her student teaching when
she graduated from Millersvillc
University.
When the Keeners returned to
Lancaster County, Barb taught at
Lititz Mennonite School while
Willie joined his dad, Harold, and
two brothers, Steve and Jeff, m a
potato farming partnership. The
Keeners grow from 20 to 75 acres
of potatoes annually.
While they docs not sound like a
big fanning operation, it is mis
leading as the partnership buys
potatoes from local farmers and
from Maine to Florida in order to
meet the demands of local super
markets and restaurants.
“We buy one to two tractor trail
er loads every week,” Keener said.
The company bags the potatoes
and markets most of them under
the brand name of H.K. Potatoes.
The Keeners also have a hog fin
ishing bam with 1,000 head of
hogs. They grow com and soy
beans on 75 acres and rent an addi
tional 20.
So far this year, the Keeners did
not need to use irrigation, but they
are prepared with a pump and
traveler wheel that has one gun and
a flexible hose for irrigation.
Too dry weather hurts the yield,
100 wet causes rot or quality prob
lems. Potatoes thrive best with lots
of sunshine but not too hot, with
cool evenings and good rams
Planting begins in early April
“Each spring I can hardly wait 'o
get into the fields to plant,” Wil
lard said.
An automatic cutter is used to
cut seed potatoes or B-size pota
toes are planted. “They cost a little
more, but the stalk is more sturdy
and even,” Keener said.
Weeds are sprayed and the
ground is cultivated during the
growing season. This year the Col
orado potato beetle, the most fierce
potato pest, is kept under control
with a combination of Viodale and
The Keener family from left: Willie, Moses, Jonathan, Joshua, and Barb stand with
the sign that points to the H. K. Potato Farm.
Thiodin. Seven is used to control
the com bore.
Harvesting begins at the end of
July or the beginning of August.
The digging begins in early morn
ing hours before the day is too hot.
Workers separate the stones and
dirt from the potatoes that are
loaded on the bulk trucks. The
potatoes are graded, washed,
dried, and stored in a a cooler set at
50 degrees.
“Once the heat is out of the pota
toes, the potatoes stay cool in air
conditioned storage,” Keener said.
The Keeners put air condition
ing in in 1980.
“Air conditioning solves a lot of
problems and is worth the invest
ment,” Keener said. “Supermark
ets are more particular with quality
than they used to be, and this helps
maintain quality throughout the
year.”
Bulk storage also offers a supply
for winter months. According to
Keener, growers in this area arc
thinning out. Prices fluctuate.
The Keeners also sell out of
their own warehouse, but find
there is less demand for potatoes in
the summer since many people
have their own gardens.
Marketing is done mostly by
word of mouth. Supermarkets talk
to other supermarket managers and
contact the Keeners about supply
ing them with potatoes. The inde
pendent farmers like it that way
and don’t have a desire to get
bigger.
“Potatoes are a big investment
and it is easier to make a profit by
shipping than by raising all the
potatoes,” Keener said.
The Keeners think it is advanta
geous to raise a dual crop such as
potatoes and pigs. They do not
feed potatoes to the pigs. In addi
tion to their finishing operation,
the Keeners have a sow herd on
another farm. They are in the pro
cess of switching to PIC breeding
stock.
Unfortunately 1988 turned out
to be a bad year to raise both hogs
and potatoes. Many of the potatoes
rotted because the weather flunc
tuatcd between being too wet and
too dry. Although good potatoes
were mixed in with the rotted ones,
it was too difficult to separate and
the potatoes needed to be thrown
away.
"Sometimes a setback or bad
times can be good to show where
to make changes,” Keener said. “It
teaches us to hold on less tightly.
In farming, you can do everything
right and things still do not work
out. I think recognizing that helps
me to relax more and lake one day
at a time.”
Although you can’t see the good
when you are going through a bad
time, Keener said, “The monetary
investment in farming keeps you
there when discouraged.”
Barb, a former school teacher, spends a lot of time read
ing to the children.
These t!
things ext
tree brothers with mischief In their eyes keep
siting in the Keener family.
While the Keeners work to have
potato quality superior or as good
as the competition, they are careful
to nurture their marriage as well.
“It takes commitment to keep a
marriage healthy and that’s what
we want,” Barb said.