Kalkaska potato farmers honored as businesses

What's happening: Three Kalkaska-area potato farms -- Elmaple Farm, lott Seed Farm and Jenkins Potato Farm -- were collectively honored as the 2025 Business of the Year. The farms are major players in Michigan's potato industry, which harvests about 1.9 billion pounds of potatoes each year. Elmaple Farm grows potatoes and other crops on about 1,350 acres. The lott seed Farm grows about 27 million pounds of potatoes each year. The 1,300-acre Jenkins Farm grows Russet potatoes. 

About the award: The award winners were selected through a community nomination process facilitated by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation and the Kalkaska Awards Committee. The Business of the Year Award
was established in 2005 to honor a local business for outstanding service. The Kalkaska Citizen of the Year also was announced. The recipients are Dave and Sharon Stockford, former longtime educators in Kalkaska Public Schools.

What they're saying: “It is humbling to be awarded the Kalkaska Business of the Year along with the Iott's and Jenkin's for doing what we do in our little part of the county,” members of the Cotton Family said in a statement. “We are very glad the Awards Committee decided to award all three operations together as an industry in the county. While we each do our own things with our own teams, we work together constantly for the betterment of the potato industry and our community. The end goal being leaving a sustainable and viable operation for our generations following.”

Fun fact: One out of every four bags of potato chips sold in the United States is filled with Michigan potatoes, according to the Michigan Potato Industry Commission.

What's next: The award winners will be honored at the 55th Annual Kalkaska Luncheon on Tuesday, April 22 at Railroad Square Pavilion in downtown Kalkaska. The event is hosted by the Community Foundation and sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, The Chiropractic Center, Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors, DTE Energy, Farrier Surveying, Inc., Forest Area Credit Union, Hague Equipment Company, Kalkaska Memorial Health Center, Kalkaska Public Schools, Northland Foods, Traverse Connect, Twin Birch Golf Course, and Woodland Creek Furniture.