Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Community swarms to dumped spuds
Everleigh Swanger, 3, of Edwall stands upon a mountain of Russet potatoes deposited on West Sprague Road near Deep Creek by the Spokane Hutterian Brethren. The Hutterians were forced to get rid of their spuds due to a market crash.
4-year-old Hudsen and 5-year-old Everett of Spokane determine which Russets fit their demands Monday, April 22.
REARDAN - The Spokane Hutterian Brethren east of town across the Spokane County line near Deep Creek figured most of their seed potatoes were going to go to waste after their main customers in the Columbia Basin cut their contracts by 40%, forcing the Hutterians to dump the spuds in a West Sprague Road field.
Instead, a video posted online by Denise Bennett of Reardan alerting locals to the free spuds has brought thousands to pick up their share of potatoes from the hundreds of tons that have already been dumped.
"I guess people are desperate for free potatoes," Hutterian farmer David Gross quipped.
Gross said the Hutterians knew since the fall that this crop wasn't going to turn a profit due to contract cuts, and decided to invite the community to take their share.
"If we can help the community, we like doing that," Gross said.
Most of the potatoes are Russet, with some yellow sprinkled in.
News of the tossed taters spread like wildfire across the region, including Lincoln and Spokane Counties. Throughout the day Sunday, April 21 and Monday, April 22, 50-100 cars were regularly parked on West Sprague Road that had transported spud seekers, neighbor Byrne Bennett said.
"One guy was blaring music from his van," Bennett said. "It was a real potato party."
And lest the hundreds of prospective potato pickers deter interested "customers," Gross said there are still up to 10 semitruck loads of potatoes to dump.
"We didn't think people were going to take the time," Gross said.
The spud mountain is just west of the "Grain Train" railroad tracks crossing West Sprague Road. From Lincoln County, turn left onto Coulee Hite Road and right onto West Sprague Road. From Spokane County, head north on Wood Road and left onto West Sprague Road.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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