Kitchen Kleen Potatoes have been gracing the bales of Midwesterners in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota for over sixty years. The Wests of Nuto (Nuto is short for nutritious potato) Farm Supply in Rice Lake, Wisconsin have been working together since 1929 to grow the Burbank Russet, one of the best tasting potatoes available on the market today.

The original site of the farm was in Sarona, Wisconsin where Barron West planted his first five acres of potatoes. Mild temperatures during the day and cool temperatures at night provided the ideal growing environment for potatoes. The farming operation was moved in the 1960's to Rice Lake, and extended to Chetek Wisconsin in the 1980's increasing Nuto's total production to 5000 acres. The sandier soil conditions of the Chetek area improved irrigation practices, made harvest easier, and grew a more uniform potato than the clay soils of the Rice Lake region—though the Wests still farm about 150 – 200 acres in the Rice Lake area.

Today, the farm is operated by Barron's son Don and his grandsons Dennis and Brian. Brian is responsible for the cultivation and harvesting of Nuto potatoes, while Dennis oversees the packing, processing and marketing of the potato crop. Don handles all other administrative aspects of the farm, including bookkeeping and acting as government liaison. The family likes working together and everyone stays busy. Every season's cycle is different than the previous one, providing challenges and new opportunities during the year.

The Wests have always farmed their land based on a philosophy of environmental stewardship. Incorporating sustainable farming practices such as buffer strips and sweeping the fields for insects were being routinely practiced prior to third party certification. They also know how important environmental stewardship is to their customers. Becoming certified by Midwest Food Alliance for their environmentally friendly and socially responsible farming practices is a perfect fit for the Wests. They believe third party certification through MWFA provides assurance to consumers and backs ups the claims Nuto Farm Supply makes with regards to their farming and labor practices.

Nuto Farm Supply has built their operation not only on the quality of Kitchen Kleen Potatoes and commitment to the environment, but also on a commitment to their employees. Some have been with Nuto for over 40 years and even retirees continue work seasonally for Nuto because they enjoy planting and harvesting these fine potatoes—whether they initially came from a farming background or not.

The Wests continue to seek farming practices that improve their farm's sustainability and the quality of their potatoes. Marketing, research and development are exciting and rewarding aspects of the farms' operation as well. Profitability is always a challenge for anyone who makes their living off the land; and sometimes the documentation required for third party certification can be time consuming. But the Wests feel growing high quality potatoes while protecting the environment make the auditing process well worth the effort. And lovers of Kitchen Kleen Potatoes would heartily agree.

www.kitchenkleen.com