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Tamminga Farms named 2005 McCain Champion Potato Grower of Alberta

Tamminga Farms Ltd. of Cranford has earned the 2005 McCain Foods Champion Potato Grower title for Alberta.

The 2005 McCain Foods Champion Potato Grower for Alberta was Tamminga Farms of Cranford. Bill Tamminga and his wife, Marian (seated). In the back row from left are Arnold Park, CEO McCain Food (Canada) and Mitch Cook, field department manager. (Submitted photo)

Tamminga Farms Ltd. of Cranford has earned the 2005 McCain Foods Champion Potato Grower title for Alberta.

The McCain top 10 potato growers were recognized October 26 at the annual McCain Growers Barbecue at the D.A. Electric Barn. More than 125 growers and other guests were on hand for the announcement of the champion grower and top 10 growers.

Tamminga Farms Ltd. has been contracting potatoes with McCain Foods for five years and has made the list of top 10 growers two times. Bill Tamminga was awarded a personal trophy plus an all-expense-paid holiday for two to Bermuda.

To determine the top 10 growers, McCain Foods monitors the processing quality of potatoes delivered to the Coaldale, Alberta facility. A sample from each load is tested for factors such as size, defect level and colour, and a point value is assigned.

The 2005 McCain top 10 growers include, in order of final standing, Champion Grower Tamminga Farms Ltd. (Bill Tamminga), Cranford; Courtland Hills Farms Ltd. (Rob Van Roessel), Bow Island; Tri-T Farms Ltd. (Brian Tajiri), Vauxhall; Grand Forks Farms Ltd. (Jake Rozendaal), Vauxhall; S-Scan Farms Ltd. (Stan and Stuart Kanegawa), Vauxhall; Marty Johnson and Larry Van Orman, Taber; SLM Spud Farms Ltd. (Louis, Lyle, Lloyd and Dale Ypma), Taber; Prairieview Seed Potatoes Ltd. (Bill Delanoy), Vauxhall, and Glasco Farms Ltd. (Jack Glas), Purple Springs. There were three farms tied for tenth place; Chin Coulee Farms Ltd. (John, Delbert and Dwayne Vossebelt), Coaldale; John Cailliau Farms, Enchant, and Lievaart Farms Ltd. (Dan and Lane Lievaart) of Coaldale.

The top 10 growers each received an engraved plaque and a cash award of $1,000 in honour of their achievement.

Master of ceremonies for the evening was McCain’s quality control manager Tom Tompkins, with field department manager Mitch Cook announcing the top 10 winners. Senior McCain personnel on hand to congratulate the growers included McCain Foods (Canada) president and CEO Arnold Park; Bill Adams, vice president operations; Rod MacDonald, vice president production; western manufacturing manager David Good, French fry plant manager Jim Rideout, and senior agronomist Yves Leclerc.

Tamminga Farms of Cranford was the 2005 McCain Champion Potato Grower for Alberta. The top ten growers are shown here. (Front row, left to right) Mitch Cook, McCain field department manager; Brian Tajiri, Tri-T Farms Ltd., Vauxhall; Lane Lievaart, Lievaart Farms Ltd., Coaldale; Bill Delanoy, Prairieview; Seed Potatoes Ltd., Vauxhall; Bill Tamminga, Tamminga Farms, Cranford; Larry Van Orman, Taber; Louis Ypma, SLM Spud Farms Ltd., Taber, and John Vossebelt, Chin Coulee Farms Ltd., Coaldale. (Middle row, left to right) McCain vice president production Rod MacDonald, CEO McCain Foods (Canada) Arnold Park; Stuart Kanegawa and Stan Kanegawa, S-Scan Farms Ltd., Vauxhall; Dan Lievaart, Lievaart Farms, Coaldale; Jack Glas, Glasco Farms, Purple Springs; Rob Van Roessel, Courtland Hills Farms Ltd., Bow Island; Dwayne Vossebelt, Chin Coulee Farms, Coaldale; Lloyd Ypma and Dale Ypma, SLM Spud Farms Ltd., Taber, and Delbert Vossebelt. (Back row, left to right) Marty Johnson, Taber; Luc Delanoy, Prairieview Seed Potatoes Ltd., Vauxhall; McCain vice president operations Bill Adams; Lyle Ypma, SLM Spud Farms Ltd., Taber; Western manufacturing manager Dave Good and Coaldale French fry plant manager Jim Rideout. See story on page 36.