Carson Reiman, a member of the Gothenburg FFA Chapter, is learning firsthand what being an entrepreneur is all about. For two years, Carson has operated and managed his Supervised Agricultural Experience, Reiman Spuds. His SAE is centered around growing, marketing, and selling potatoes in his local community. He has always had a fascination with and love for growing plants. When Carson was younger, he and his dad would always plant a few hundred root rows of potatoes.
Carson spent a lot of time racking his brain trying to come up with an SAE project and reflected on his past experiences to find something he was passionate about. He says that potatoes are easily one of his favorite foods and asked himself “Why not grow them on a larger scale?” After his lightbulb moment, it was simply a matter of gathering resources to start his business. He knew he needed enough capital to purchase equipment that would help him have a successful season. He shares that he was “beyond excited when I heard the Nebraska FFA Foundation offered grants for individual SAE projects to get them up and running.”
With the grant funds he received, Carson was able to purchase a 1927 Champion Digger that does the bulk of his harvesting. He found it on BigIron and was glad to have it during his first harvest. Overall, Carson grows about one acre of potatoes. His seed order comes in around early April; this year it was 1600 lbs of seed. All of it is planted in late April or early May using a 1945 John Deere potato planter. His summer consists of weeding, watering with a drip-tape irrigation system, and observing his crop. After harvesting in October and November, he sells the potatoes directly to consumers either by delivery or on a market scale. Carson is also located in the local grocery store. His goal this year is to sell to a few of the restaurants around town.
As a current sophomore at Gothenburg High School, Carson’s excellence isn’t just in FFA. He is involved in many different activities including football, wrestling, track, one acts, musical, Student Council, and National Honor Society. When asked what he likes most about his SAE project, Carson replied that he enjoys having the ability to manage the project himself. He finds that being able to make the big and little decisions has given him the opportunity to learn firsthand from his mistakes and take even more pride in his successes. Check out Reiman Spuds’ website to learn more about Carson’s SAE: https://www.reimanspuds.com/.
