Doing what we do best
-Aaron Troyer of Troyer Brothers Inc.
Troyer Brothers Farm knows its potatoes. For generations, the Troyer
family has been growing the crop and expanding its operations. It was
founded in 1943 in Pennsylvania by Vernon and Clayton Troyer, the
grandfather and great-uncle of FFVA board member Aaron Troyer, who
manages the Lee County-based farm’s operations today.
In 1971, Aaron Troyer’s uncle Don became an owner and in 1980,
Aaron’s father David and uncle Vern joined the team. The Troyers
expanded the operation into Florida in 1983.
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Aaron Troyer of Troyer Brothers Farm welcomed attendees
to the 2011 FFVA Convention's Annual Awards Luncheon.
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“They thought Lee County was an area that had potential for
growing potatoes,” Aaron Troyer said.
The farm has grown from an initial 300 acres to more than 2,000 acres
today. It’s one of the largest potato operations in the
state.
The Troyers have always specialized in potatoes. “We decided
that’s what we do best. We focus on growing and marketing our
potatoes. We grow reds, whites and yellows. They’re all table
stock. We don’t grow anything for processing or chipping.
They’re all fresh and get used up right away. Nothing is stored.
It’s all shipped fresh and it’s all consumed relatively
quickly,” Troyer said. The farm's products are sold from
Canada to California and everywhere in between.
The operation employs about 30 full-time workers, with more hired
during the harvest season.
Troyer says harvesting is the best part of the job. “I enjoy
harvest time. It’s very intense, but you get see the fruition of
all your hard work through the year,” he said. The
farm starts planting in Florida around the first of October and
stops around the end of December. The harvest season runs from early
February until May.
Troyer says the weather is their greatest challenge.
“It’s the biggest unknown factor,” he said.
“Other than that, regulations involving food safety, environmental
issues, and property rights issues present plenty of challenges. We use
a lot of machines with potatoes, so we don’t have quite the
problem with labor that so many other folks in the state have to face.
All our potatoes are mechanically harvested.”
Troyer
Brothers Farm is known for its efficient use of technology. Tractors use
GPS to map. “They know exactly where to go,” Troyer said.
“We also use optical sorting machines in the packinghouse.
Scanners rate the potatoes and put them where they need to be. Plus, we
use automation for bagging.” In addition, the operation monitors
the weather electronically.
Troyer earned an economics degree from Eastern Mennonite University
in Harrisburg, Va. He also has masters degrees from the University of
Florida in both agribusiness and agricultural economics. He’s
married to Anna, a native of Russia, whom he met in college. Their first
child, Annabelle, was born in 2011.
Not only does Troyer keep busy on the farm, he also founded
Agricultural Risk Management in 2002, an insurance agency specializing
in crop insurance.
“We love Florida and we’re happy to be a part of
agriculture,” Troyer said. “It’s a tremendous economic
driver in the state, and we hope agriculture in our specific part of the
industry lasts a long time. We also hope that ag in general
continues to do well in the state and can continue to grow and work with
groups like FFVA that continue to meet challenges as they come
up,” he said. “That’s probably the most important part
of being involved with a group like FFVA. It helps us deal with the
challenges as they’re presented.”