Alamosa FFA
Seed Potato Project
Established 2014
Rockey Farms partners with the Alamosa High School Future Farmers of America club to produce an annual seed potato crop.
Under the guidance of Alamosa FFA advisor and agricultural sciences teacher Justin Tedford, the FFA club members and the Alamosa High School Greenhouse Management class work together to plant and care for the crop. The students plant mini tubers, which are seed potatoes Rockey Farms provides from its tissue culture greenhouse.
Brendon Rockey, Rockey Farms
After 90 growing days and two Potato Certification Service inspections, the seed potatoes are harvested. Rockey Farms purchases the seed potatoes back from the Alamosa FFA club, providing funds to keep the project sustainable and that contribute to the program as a whole.​
The Alamosa FFA club reuses the potting soil for its annual flower sale in the spring. Don't be surprised if a potato pops up in your petunias!
Planting
Greenhouse Management students plant the seed potato crop in October. They fill pots with soil purchased from Compost Technologies, LLC before watering and dibbling holes for the mini tubers. Shortly after the mini tubers are planted, the students establish companion plants - flowers and herbs - to control unwanted insect populations.
Mini Tubers
Companion Plants ​​
Inspection
Michelle Leckler,
PCS Assistant Manager
Certified seed potatoes are not the same as true potato seed. The latter are the berries collected from the potato plant. Seedlings germinated from true potato seed are genetically unique and will produce mini tubers with different characteristics than the parent plant. Certified seed potatoes are mini tubers grown for planting that an agency inspects for authenticity, disease and cleanliness.
The mini tubers the students plant in the Alamosa FFA Greenhouse originate in the Rockey Farms' tissue culture lab from disease-free plants. The tissue cultured plants are planted in the farm's greenhouse with the goal of producing a crop pure in genetics and health. Mini tubers are selected during these greenhouse harvests for the Alamosa FFA Seed Potato Project.
Dr. Andrew Hauser, PCS Manager
Students learn that the Potato Certification Service is responsible for ensuring seed potatoes grown in Colorado meet certain standards and disease tolerances. Keeping the seed potato’s cleanliness intact is necessary because diseased seed results in substantial table stock and seed production loses. The certification process includes picking leaves for lab testing and verification of the varieties comprising the crop. Certification, along with breeding programs, are the backbone of the seed potato industry.
“The perfect seed has zero bacteria and zero virus,” says Colorado Potato Certification Service Manager Dr. Andrew Hauser. “Beyond that, zero pests and zero diseases.”
Harvest
The Alamosa FFA Seed Project harvest in late January brings together many agricultural science students. The pots are turned over onto a table where the students use their hands to collect the seed potatoes. The soil is placed into cartons and stored until it is time for the club to plant annual flowers for its spring sale.
Rockey Farms purchases the seed back from the Alamosa FFA club to plant in the field as a first generation seed potato crop.
This project has raised more than $20,000 for the Alamosa FFA club since it was established in 2014.
