Two generations now grow 1500 acres of potatoes annually, having put down roots where the previous generation of VanderZaags originally immigrated. Nick and Ruth Ploeg (shown in picture) lead the farming operation with support of her parents.
The first VanderZaags (Peter’s parents) emigrated from Holland in 1949, successfully transplanting their extensive knowledge of potato production onto Canadian soil.
Sunrise Potato Storage Ltd. focuses on precise sustainable production practices with cover crops and needed soil amendments for growing their high quality potatoes.
Their state-of-the-art storage facilities hold 400,000 cwt (18,000 tonnes) in 20 bins, which allows us to ship the crop from September’s harvest to the following July.
Peter and Carla also spent twenty years overseas, studying and developing potato production methods in countries such as China, Bangladesh and Rwanda.
Peter leads a small private potato breeding program on the farm. Several of his varieties are being grown commercially in Canada as well as in several other countries. SP327 is a noteworthy one for the chip industry.