Ua hoʻokumu ʻia ʻo Mickelsen Farms i ka makahiki 1988 e nā hoahānau ʻo Lynn lāua ʻo Dale Mickelsen a me ke keiki a Lynn, ʻo Mark, akā ʻo ka moʻolelo mahiʻai ʻuala a ka ʻohana ma ka hema hikina o Idaho e hoʻi hou aku ana ma mua o kēlā.
"Ma Idaho mau loa mākou," wahi a Andrew Mickelsen, kekahi o kā Mark mau keikikāne. "Huehuehu ia ke hoʻomaka ʻoe e nānā i hope, akā ʻo ke ala aʻu e noʻonoʻo ai, he ʻeono a ʻehiku paha hanauna uala Idaho."
ʻO Mickelsen Farms kekahi o nā mea nui kaʻuala nui o ka ʻāina a ʻoi aku ka nui o kāna ʻoihana ma mua o ka hoʻoulu ʻana i kaʻuala. Ulu ka Mickelsens i nā pāka pāʻoihana a me nā ʻanoʻano hua, ma lalo o ke poʻo inoa o ka Yellowstone Seed, a he ʻelua mau wahi ukana i hoʻouna ʻia ma lalo o ka inoa ʻo Rigby Produce. Aia kekahi hana hana ma Rigby, Potato Products o Idaho.
ʻOiai he nui nā lima like ʻole o ka ʻōnaehana, ʻona nā ʻohana āpau a hoʻohana ʻia.
Ke hiki mai i ka hoʻoulu ʻana i ka ʻuala, nānā nui ka mahiʻai i ka mākeke hou. Ulu lākou kokoke wale i nā ʻano Lūkeke Burbank a me Norkotah, me 278, 296 a me 3. "Makemake mākou pilikino i nā Norkotah ma kahi liʻiliʻi," wahi a Andrew Mickelsen. "Manaʻo mākou hāʻawi lākou i kahi huahana maikaʻi aʻe no ka mea kūʻai aku." Ulu lākou i kekahi mau ʻulaʻula no ka hana ʻana.
Pono kahi hana nui i nā lima a me nā noʻonoʻo he nui a, ʻo ka mea pōmaikaʻi, he nui nā lālā o ka ʻohana Mickelsen. ʻO Mark a me Stephanie Mickelsen lāua ʻo Dale Mickelsen nā limahana o kēia manawa, aia ma laila mai ka manawa o ka hana o kēia manawa i hoʻokumu ʻia ma 1988, a ʻo Andrew, Samuel a me Chelsea - ʻekolu o nā keiki ʻehā a Mark lāua ʻo Stephanie - a ʻo nā keiki kāne a Dale, ʻo Bryan, Brent a me Scott. Ke nānā nui nei ʻo Mark, Stephanie a me kā lāua mau keiki i ka ʻaoʻao mahiʻai o nā mea, ʻoiai ʻo Dale a me kāna mau keikikāne e nānā nui i ka ʻūlū a me nā hana ʻana. Pulu nā kuleana.
"Manaʻoʻiʻo mākou e holo ka hana holoʻokoʻa ma ke ʻano he hoʻokahi," wahi a Andrew. "Pono ʻoe e hoʻopili ʻia me nā mahiʻai ʻē aʻe āpau. Inā ʻaʻole pau kahi mahiʻai, aia mākou ma laila i kēlā mahiʻai. Inā pono ke kōkua i ka waihona, aia mākou ma ka hale kūʻai. Inā pono ke kōkua i ka hua, aia mākou ma laila. ”
No nā mea hou aku me Andrew Mickelsen a me ka ʻaoʻao mahiʻai o Nā Mahiʻai ʻo Mickelsen, nānā i ka ʻāpana ʻehā o "ʻO ka Māla Uala me Spudman ”podcast, loaʻa ma spudman.com/podcast a ma nā wahi āpau e loaʻa ai nā podcasts.
Ke komo pū nei
Me 32 mau makahiki ma ke ʻano he luna kālā o ka mahiʻai, ua ʻike ʻo Stephanie Mickelsen i nā loli he nui i ka ʻaoʻao hana a me ka hoʻokele o ka mahiʻai. ʻO ka mālama ʻana i ka nui o nā lula e ulu mau nei a me nā kūlana i lilo i hana manawa piha iā ia iho, i ʻōlelo ʻo ia.
"I ka wā ma mua, ua ulu wale ʻoe i kāu mea kanu," i ʻōlelo ʻo ia. "Ma muli o mākou he kaiāulu agrarian, ʻaʻole hopohopo maoli ka poʻe e pili ana i kāu mālama ʻana i kāu mahiʻai. Loaʻa iā ia kahi hana manawa piha e hoʻokō i nā rula āpau i hele mai me kahi ʻoihana ʻona. Makemake ʻia ʻoe e ʻike i kēia mau mea āpau, no laila pono ʻoe e loaʻa i kekahi ma luna o lākou. ”
I ka loaʻa ʻana o nā nematodes cyst pale (PCN) ma ka ʻāina i ka makahiki 2006, ʻo ka quarantining a me ka nānā ʻana o nā kahua i komo pū kekahi o nā māla o Mickelsens, a ua hemo mai kā lākou hana. Ke hoʻomau nei ka nānā ʻana o PCN i ka ʻāina i kēia lā.
Ma mua, mālama ka ʻohana Mickelsen i kā lākou hana ponoʻī. ʻO ke kūlana PCN a me nā loio āpau a me nā hola kāne i hele pū mai me ia e hoʻomaka i ka hoʻololi ʻana i ko lākou mau manaʻo no ka puka ʻana "mai ko lākou wahi hōʻoluʻolu." Hoʻomaka ka Advocacy a me ke komo kaiāulu ʻana e lilo i mea nui no Stephanie.
"Ua lilo maoli ia i mea e pono ai," i ʻōlelo ʻo Mickelsen. "Ua hoʻomaka maoli ia me Farm Bureau a ʻano ʻano mai ka laila mai."
KA PALAPALA HOU: Nā Mahiʻai ʻo Mickelsen
I kēia lā, he alakaʻi mokuʻāina ʻo Stephanie o ka Idaho Farm Bureau, ma ka papa o nā hui e nānā nui i ka wai o ka honua a me kahi kahu ma ka East Idaho Regional Medical Center a me ke Kulanui o Eastern Idaho. ʻO Mark lāua ʻo Andrew e lawelawe nei ma ke ʻano he pelekikena o Butte Market Lake Canal a me Osgood Canal Company.
"ʻO ke kumu e pono ai mākou e hana i kēlā no ka mea ʻo ka mahiai ke emi a emi mai ana o ka heluna kanaka," wahi a Stephanie. "Inā mākou, i ka mahiʻai, e noho wale i ko mākou kaiāulu ponoʻī a hele ʻole mākou i waho o kā mākou wahi palekana, ʻaʻole hiki iā mākou ke hoʻohuli i ke kulekele a me ka poʻe i hiki iā mākou ke hoʻomau i kā mākou hana."
Me ka hapa nui o ka lehulehu e neʻe hou aku ana mai ka poʻe e mahi ana i ka mahiʻai, pono e lawe i ka moʻolelo o ka mahiʻai iā lākou. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Stephanie ʻo ka hapa nui o ka poʻe e koi ana i kekahi mau hana mai ka hana ʻana i ka meaʻai e hana pēlā me ka ʻike ʻole o ka mea maoli i ka mahiʻai. Ua hoʻohana ʻo ia i ka wai pono me he hoʻokahi laʻana.
"E nānā i ka holomua o kā mākou ʻōnaehana wai a pehea e hiki ai iā mākou ke nānā pono i ka nui o ka wai a mākou e hoʻohana nei no laila ke hoʻohana nei mākou i ka nui kūpono," wahi a Mickelsen. “ʻOiaʻiʻo a ʻoiaʻiʻo nō, ʻo nā mahiʻai ka ʻoi loa o nā kaiāulu a me nā puʻukū o ka ʻāina. Mālama maoli lākou i ka mea e hana ai i ka ʻāina, ka honua a me ka wai no ka mea inā e hōʻino loa mākou i kēlā kumuwaiwai, ʻaʻole mākou e mahiʻai i ka wā e hiki mai ana.
Ua kono ʻia ʻo Mark lāua ʻo Stephanie e komo i kahi a Land O'Lakes panela ma ka Hema e Southwest (SXSW) ʻaha kūkā a me ka ʻaha ma Austin, Texas, kahi moʻomeheu, ʻoihana a me kahi hanana aʻo e huki ai ka lehulehu i nā lehulehu. Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Stephanie he manawa kūpono loa ia e komo e pili ana i kekahi mau manaʻo kuhihewa o ka mahiʻai a me ka "ʻoihana" mahiʻai.
"Loaʻa iā mākou kēia mau millennial a me nā ʻenehana e ʻōlelo nei makemake lākou i kā lākou meaʻai e ulu i kahi ala, akā ʻaʻohe o lākou manaʻo i ka mea a lākou e noi nei a he aha ka manaʻo maoli." "Ua noi wau iā lākou," Inā he 5,000 ʻeka kaʻu, he mahiʻai ʻoihana wau? Inā loaʻa iaʻu he 10,000 eka, he mahiʻai ʻoihana paha wau? Inā he LLC wau, akā ʻohana ia āpau, he mahiʻai ʻoihana wau? ' ʻLelo lākou, 'ʻAe, ʻaʻole, no ka mea ʻo kou ʻohana kēlā.'
“Aia kekahi mau ʻona ʻona ʻoihana, akā ʻaʻole maopopo iaʻu kekahi o nā mahiʻai ʻoihana. Ua hiki iā ʻoe ke haʻi aia kekahi mau manawa a-ha e hana nei i loko o ka lehulehu no ka mea ʻaʻole lākou i ʻike i ke ʻano o ka pili o mākou i kā mākou kahua a me kā mākou hana. ”
Ua ala aʻe ke kumuhana o ke aloha a me ka maʻamau.
"ʻAʻole lākou i manaʻo e hoʻohana maoli ka mahiʻai meaola i nā kumuwaiwai he nui, ʻoi aku nā wahie fossil, ʻoi aku ka nui o nā mea momona ma mua o ka maʻamau - aia wale nō lākou i nā ʻano like ʻole," wahi a Mickelsen. "Manaʻo wau ʻaʻole maopopo ka poʻe i ka nui o ka noʻonoʻo a me ka hana a me nā hola e hele ai i nā mea a mākou e hana ai e hōʻike i ko mākou mālama nui ʻana i ka huahana a mākou e kau nei i mua o lākou."