Page 23 - Farm and Food Policy Strategies for 2040 Series

Gregg Halverson – Optimizing economies of scale

North Dakota’s Gregg Halverson and his three

actively engaged children still farm the 10-acre
potato field that Gregg’s grandfather started
with in 1928. They’re now farming some

25,000 acres, mostly in potatoes, stretching

from their home farm near Forest River, N.D.,

down to Texas and Florida.

Halverson, having passed the CEO baton to his

son Eric while John and Leah respectively

head up operations and marketing, tells us he

expects fourth-generation, family-

owned Black Gold Farms, based in Grand Black Gold Farms CEO Eric Halverson (left) and
Board Chair Gregg Halverson (right)
Forks, N.D., to continue its steady growth over
the decades ahead.

With Frito-Lay as Black Gold’s top customer and diversification as a key risk-reduction strategy,
Black Gold delivers chip, seed and table-stock potatoes from its farming and packing operations
in 11 states.

Along with geographical diversification to manage risk so that “we can be wiped out in one area
and be OK in another,” Halverson says Black Gold also keeps expanding its customer base, its

branding, and introducing new products like individually wrapped sweet potatoes for

microwaving.

Black Gold Farms has
production in 11 states

www.Agri-Pulse.com 21