Leading with Innovation and Care Black Gold Farms
What began in 1928 on 10 acres in North Dakota is now 25,000 acres of farmland across more than 10 states. It all started when founder A.E. (Hallie) Halverson, a Forest River, ND, banker, found himself the unlikely owner of a 10-acre seed potato plot. He farmed the land as a side business to his banking career, effectively launching the Red River Valley’s potato farming legacy. Halverson also established a family legacy that has inspired decades of growth for Black Gold Farms. His son Jack led the company through the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s when the company portfolio expanded to include Black Angus cattle and Kennebec potatoes for the potato chip trade. It was during Jack’s tenure that the company name was changed from Forest River Potato Co. to Black Gold Farms–“Black” symbolizing the fertile, deep ebony soil of the Red River Valley, as well as the color of the hide
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
