Common`Tater Interview with

6 October 2012
Common’Tater Interview
with:
Richard and Roderick Gumz
by Tamas Houlihan, Managing Editor
Name: Richard Gumz
Title: Co-Owner
Farm Name: Gumz Muck Farms, LLC and
Gumz Seed Service, LLC
Location: Endeavor, WI
Hometown: North Judson, IN
Current Residence: Endeavor, WI
Years Farming: 25
Crops Grown/Acreage:
6,000 acres of: Onions, Red Potatoes,
Carrots, Mint, Field Corn, Soybeans
Schooling: BS degree in Farm & Business
Management, Purdue University, 1984
Activities/Organizations:
President, Wisconsin Mint Board;
President, Wisconsin Association of Drain
Districts; Commissioner on Columbia and
Marquette County Drain Boards
Family: Wife, Linda; Daughter,
Jacalynn (17)
Hobbies: Traveling; Spending time with
family
B
rothers Richard and Roderick
Gumz formed Gumz Muck
Farms, LLC in 1994. They grow,
store and pack red potatoes and
yellow globe onions for retail.
The farm also raises carrots for processing
(slicing and dicing), field corn, soybeans
and over 1,000 acres of mint (primarily
peppermint). The Gumz family has been
raising mint for over 80 years in Indiana
and Wisconsin. Richard, Roderick and
their brother, Daniel, represent the fourth
generation of Gumz family farmers.
Daniel and their father, Jerome, still
operate the home farm in Indiana.
Gumz Muck Farms LLC raises over
6,000 acres of crops in three Wisconsin
counties: Marquette, Columbia and
Sauk. Most of the land is made up of
muck soils with organic matter as high
as 65%. The land requires open ditches
and a lot of drain tile. Richard runs the
tiling machine and has installed over 2
million feet of tile in the last 15 years.
Crops grown at Gumz Muck Farms are
geared toward the muck soils.
Richard Gumz has 25 years of farming
experience and works closely on the
mint, soybean and field corn operations.
Roderick has been farming for 20 years
and concentrates his efforts on the
potato, onion and carrot crops. Both are
graduates of Purdue University and both
The Best Buy brand is one of Gumz Muck
Farms’ premium potato and onion labels.
are very active in industry organizations.
Richard is the President of the Wisconsin
Mint Board as well as the Wisconsin
Association of Drain Districts. Roderick
is President of the Wisconsin Muck
Farmers Association, the Wisconsin
Carrot Growers Association Cooperative,
and serves on the Wisconsin Potato &
Vegetable Growers Association Research
and SpudPro committees.
In 2012, the farm added on to its potato
packaging facility in Endeavor, and built
a brand new onion packaging facility,
complete with new offices and meeting
rooms. In the following interview,
the Gumz brothers talk about their
diversified farming operation, as well as
their new venture, Gumz Seed Service,
LLC, a Pioneer seed sales entity.
[Editor’s Note: These questions were
answered by both Richard and Roderick
Gumz; thus the responses can be
attributed to both.]
THE BADGER COMMON’TATER 7
A Lockwood packaging machine is used for packing onions in the new packing facility
at Gumz Muck Farms, LLC in Endeavor.
What are the reasons behind your
decision to build a new onion packaging
facility?
We built a new onion packing facility
to meet and/or exceed customer
needs, along with meeting the always
increasing demands for quality and
food safety. We gained capacity and
efficiency with the new facility. It also
gives us more flexibility for expansion
in the future. Another reason behind
our decision to build the new facility is
that we feel that we’re in a very good
location. We pack a quality product
in a timely manner. Our locally-grown
products come from rich, organic muck
soils, and as stewards of the land, we
utilize responsible agricultural practices,
including integrated pest management
and third-party auditing. How much do you plan to use the new
facility?
We will pack year-round. We’ll pack
mostly our product, but if we run out
of our product, or don’t have what our
customers need, we will work with
growers who can supply what we need.
So we will buy from other growers to
become a reliable, year-round supplier.
continued on pg. 8
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4111 8th Street South, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
Name: Roderick (Rod) Gumz
Title: Co-Owner
Farm Name: Gumz Muck Farms, LLC
and Gumz Seed Service, LLC
Location: Endeavor, WI
Hometown: North Judson, IN
Current Residence: Portage, WI
Years Farming: 20
Crops Grown/Acreage:
6,000 acres of: Onions, Red Potatoes,
Carrots, Mint, Field Corn, Soybeans
Schooling: BS degree in Agricultural
Economics, Purdue University, 1992;
Two years of graduate school at
UW-Madison
Activities/Organizations: President,
Wisconsin Muck Farmers Association;
President, Wisconsin Carrot Growers
Association Cooperative; WPVGA
Research and SpudPro committees;
Trustee, St. Mary Church, Portage;
Director, Divine Savior Healthcare
Board; Director, Greater Portage Youth
Education Foundation
Family: Wife, Michelle; Children, Brandon
(17), Jason (16) and Alexandra (14)
Hobbies: Playing and coaching
basketball; traveling; activities with
family
8 October 2012
Common’Tater Interview . . .
continued from pg. 7
Left: A brand new Nicholson Top-Tail machine removes the tops of onions prior to packing. Right: Roderick (left) and Richard
Gumz are pictured in one of the bulk storage bins for onions at the farm’s new packing facility, which has a capacity to store 400,000
fifty-pound bags of onions.
What range of potato and onion
packaging does Gumz Muck Farms
offer?
Years ago we raised red, white and
yellow potatoes, but we found that our
niche was reds. We have very good
color and quality coming off our muck
soil. Now we raise only reds and they
are mostly Dark Red Norlands. We raise
more than 15% of all the red potatoes
grown in Wisconsin. We package them
in 3-, 4-, 5-, 10-, 20- and 50-pound
packages, as well as 2,000-pound totes.
Packaging options for potatoes include
poly, paper and cartons.
The onions we grow are the yellow
cooking onions. We raise more
than 25% of the onions produced in
Wisconsin. We package them in 2-, 3-,
4-, 5- 10-, 25- and 50-pound packages.
Virtually all the onions are packed in a
poly-netting material.
What are some of the trends you’ve
seen with regard to potato and/or
onion packaging?
Onions are sized and then held in crates
and stacked in a staging area where
they’re ready for packing and shipping.
One big trend we’ve seen is an
emphasis on buying locally-grown
produce. This gives us an advantage
because our competition is further away
from the market, such as the Red River
Valley for red potatoes, and the Pacific
Northwest for onions. Another big trend
in packaging is the increasing use of
automation to reduce labor. Two years
ago we added a polisher and automatic
grader, and we recently put in a baler
and automatic stacker.
What are your thoughts on the
importance of the package when
selling potatoes and onions?
We feel the packaging is very important.
We use the label “Richard’s Finest” for
our potatoes, and “Best Buy” for potatoes
and onions. Logos and high quality
graphics definitely help sell product.
However, we’re somewhat limited on
our input due to the requirements of our
customers. Many of our customers have
their own labels that they want us to use.
We also know we have to put a quality
product inside the package in order to
get repeat business. We’re fortunate in
that red potatoes coming off our muck
soil have great color and therefore great
eye-appeal. Red potatoes in general
have the perception of being a premium
quality product.
What do you consider to be valueadded packaging?
We try to capture as much of the
consumer dollar on the farm as
possible. We do this by adding value
to the product by washing, grading and
packaging in consumer packs. Also,
our customers want year-round service,
so by increasing our packing capacity
along with the range of packs we offer,
we’re able to meet customer demand.
We also benefit by being part of a
THE BADGER COMMON’TATER 9
more than ever. There are fewer of us
and our communication is way better
than it used to be. We buy and sell
potatoes and onions from other farmers,
and we treat everyone fairly in order to
maintain a good reputation. We also
have the grower’s perspective on the
industry, and I think that adds value to
our entire operation.
Onions are packed, baled and ready for shipping on pallets.
thriving potato and vegetable industry
in Wisconsin. We see our relationship
with customers, other growers and
equipment suppliers as keys to our
success. The Wisconsin potato and
vegetable industry is progressive and has
a very good track record, and we partner
with other successful operations. We
try to treat everyone with respect and
maintain integrity in our operation. We
are credible and respectable. Today’s
farmer has more access to information
than ever before, especially as far as the
market goes. We talk to each other now
We are also fortunate that we have
many dedicated employees, including
a few who are becoming well-known
in the industry. These include Tom
Bulgrin, who handles potato sales and
packaging; Doug Bulgrin, handling
onion sales and packaging; and Rob
Shields who handles Pioneer seed sales
and service.
Can you describe your mint farming
operation? Where do you see that
business heading in the future?
Mint is a very shallow-rooted crop and
continued on pg. 10
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10 October 2012
Common’Tater Interview . . .
continued from pg. 9
Harvesting red potatoes on the dark, muck soil near Endeavor, Wisconsin.
does well on the moist, muck soils. Our grandfather
started growing mint in Indiana over 80 years ago. The
farm expanded into Wisconsin in the 1940s when land in
Indiana became increasingly infected with Verticillium
Wilt, which can be a very damaging disease to mint.
Land in Wisconsin had not been exposed to wilt yet.
Mint is a perennial, but is only left in a field for threeto-five years to minimize disease buildup. Mint is sterile
and produces no seeds—it is propagated by the roots.
Roots are dug from a healthy field in the early spring
to start a new field and are planted in rows. Mint is
harvested in July and August with usually only one crop
per year. Mint is plowed under on the muck in the fall to
protect and over-winter the shallow root system. Fields
continued on pg. 12
Left Top: Red potatoes move across conveyors in the
potato packing shed. Left Bottom: A view of some of
the equipment in the farm’s new packing facility.
12 October 2012
Common’Tater Interview . . .
continued from pg. 10
Left: Red potatoes are pictured in a holding tank prior to packaging. Right: Richard (left) and Roderick Gumz are pictured with one
of the farm’s potato labels: Richard’s Finest.
are leveled and fertilized in the spring
and cover crops are used extensively to
protect against wind and water erosion.
Mint is harvested by mowing/swathing
like alfalfa hay, except no crimper is
used. It is left to dry for two to three
days, then chopped like haylage into
special wagons that are used as cooking
vessels, with gasketed doors and pipes
laying on the floor with holes in them.
Steam is pushed through the pipes and
rises through the hay to vaporize the
oil. The oil and steam vapors come out
the top of the tub through a hose that
is connected to a condenser, which
returns the vapor to a liquid form. A
gravity separator is used to separate
the oil from the water and the oil is
placed in 55-gallon galvanized drums
for shipment. The cooking process takes
approximately two hours. The state
average yield is about 50-pounds per
acre.
Top: A polishing machine is
used along with an Odenberg
color sorter/grader for red
potatoes.
Right: These red potatoes
show excellent color.
There are really only three buyers
of mint oil in the United States who
purchase the oil from growers. They
formulate, blend and deliver the oil to
end users such as Wrigley and Colgate.
Uses include toothpaste, chewing gum,
oral care products and pharmaceuticals.
Mint is a natural flavoring that cannot be
easily duplicated.
THE BADGER COMMON’TATER 13
Left: Potatoes are flumed into the packing area. Right: Richard (left) and Roderick Gumz are pictured outside their new office
complex in Endeavor.
Mint has a shelf-life of over ten years.
Over-supply in the 1990s caused low
prices for the next ten years. Better prices
have returned, but only on a limited
contract basis. With many alternative
crops, mint acreage in Wisconsin has
dropped to less than 4,000. Mint is grown
in Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan
as well as the Pacific Northwest. We
have over 1,000 acres planted to mint,
primarily peppermint.
As far as where the mint business is
headed in the future, we don’t know
the direction of the industry, but we’ve
positioned ourselves to remain in the
mint business. There is a certain amount
of mint production that will always be
needed. We know the industry will
change, however, and we’re willing to
adapt and change with it.
Can you describe your farm’s corn
growing operation and your new seed
business, Gumz Seed Service, LLC?
Corn is grown at Gumz Farms in twin
rows spread eight inches apart on 36inch centers. This matches up well with
potatoes on 36-inch rows, and onions
and carrots on 72-inch beds. This also
allows more room for spraying and
top-dressing on the muck. Non-irrigated
yields will hopefully run consistently
in the 180-200 bushel per acre range
this year.
Field corn was raised on our farm as
a rotational crop in the past, but now
it is more of a cash crop and therefore
more important. When we lost our local
Pioneer Seed Corn representative a
year ago, and Pioneer had a hard time
finding a replacement, we decided to
get into the seed business in order to
diversify and become more informed
and better corn growers. We have hired
a seedsman/agronomist (Rob Shields)
and look forward to setting up a seed
warehouse and treating facility yet
this fall. We will handle seed for corn,
soybeans, alfalfa and wheat, as well as
seed treatments.
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