More than 20 years ago, Terry Mortensen and Thane Siddoway recognized a need in the potato industry. Being natives of eastern Idaho, potatoes were very familiar to both of them. It wasn’t uncommon to see a potato grower lose a good portion of a crop because of problems caused by bacteria, fungus and other diseases. Mortensen and Siddoway believed that this was a problem that could be fixed. They surmised that by reducing the exposure of the potatoes to disease pressure in storage, much of the crop being lost could be saved.
In 1994, Mortensen and Siddoway formed Potato Services of Idaho (PSI), a company specializing in post-harvest applications on stored potatoes as well as storage cleaning and disinfecting. “It was so new to the industry,” Mortensen explained, “that at first it required a different mindset.”
PSI began working with researchers at Miller Research and the University of Idaho to determine what should be done to protect potatoes in storage. In conjunction with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, the University of Idaho and several chemical companies, PSI played an integral role in developing many of the protocols that are used today in the potato industry. It didn’t take long for interest to grow, and this new company became a reliable disinfecting resource for many potato growers.
“People finally started thinking there might be something to this,” says Mortensen. “So we really went after it, focusing in the beginning on seed growers.”
Mortensen and Siddoway realized that while there was an acute need for their services, the products available in the mid-‘90s simply weren’t adequate for the work PSI needed them to do. In those early days they used chlorine-based products such as chlorine dioxide, which often proved volatile and unpredictable, sometimes even dangerous.
The need for new chemicals was apparent. Mortensen, Siddoway and their team recognized this need as well. “We realized very quickly that we needed to find more effective treatments,” says Mortensen, “but there just weren’t a lot of good products available that were labeled for potatoes and potato storages. We knew at that point that we needed to be looking for something better.”
PSI had already developed an application of an effective chlorine product that was applied through the humidification system. In 1999, they began experimenting with other chemicals such as StorOx 2.0, a hydrogen peroxide-based product from BioSafe Systems. “We found that the hydrogen peroxide products worked considerably better, so we went away from the chlorine products,” Mortensen explains. “We saw the results and liked what we saw.”
Over the years, PSI has continued to improve the application methods on potatoes going into storage as well as potatoes being stored. They have found various methods to apply the disinfectants depending on the needs and conditions of the grower. Most recently, PSI has developed “reverse directional fogging,” which has proven in many situations to be more consistent and effective in pushing and pulling the disinfectants through a pile of potatoes.
Also, PSI has built its own industrial-sized ventilation pipe cleaners. These cleaners were designed to apply high-pressure water and disinfectant to the inside and outside of pipes. “These machines were expensive to build, but they really get the job done,” Mortensen says. “They have reduced our labor requirements and increased our efficiency. I don’t know what we’d do without them.”
Over the last few years, government regulations have placed a new standard of cleanliness on farms around the country. “With the implementation of GAP requirements, PSI has responded with an effective and complete program that allows customers to receive a certification that those requirements have been met,” says Siddoway. “That certification has been accepted as a guarantee of compliance to GAP. Our total cleaning package has set the standard for the industry.”
PSI is now offering its own line of products. Recently, Harvest 6.0 was released as one of the strongest disinfectants labeled for potatoes. Harvest 6.0 is a sanitizer for potatoes in storage that utilizes hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid to protect against fungus, algae and bacteria. “It’s turned out to be one of the strongest disinfectants in the industry,” says Mortensen. “We’re really excited about this product. It can be applied to potatoes going into storage and to potatoes already in storage. It is also our best disinfectant on equipment and cleaning storage facilities.” Today, PSI uses Harvest 6.0 for commercial growers and StorOx 2.0 for seed potatoes.
Another one of the company’s signature products is Bio-Ultra, a high-foaming detergent designed to penetrate deeply into heavily contaminated surfaces, breaking down contaminants and loosening them from storage walls. “Foam application is the key; this stuff is phenomenal,” sasays Mortensen. “There will be mud or biofilm on storage walls, ventilation pipes and equipment that just won’t come off with a pressure washer. With Bio-Ultra it just melts it right off. Then you can just follow the detergent with the disinfectant.”
The hard work and innovation over the last two decades have certainly paid off for PSI. “What’s been the most satisfying,” Mortensen says, “is that the customers we started with, we still have today. We have a great customer base.”
That customer base has expanded to stretch across Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and into Washington State. “Basically, our goal is to be everywhere they grow potatoes,” Mortensen says.
Anywhere PSI is able to expand, potato growers will be lucky to have them.