Noticias sobre los Productos de Patata Deshidratada de Washington

In the heartland of the Columbia Basin, amidst the sprawling landscape of Ice Harbor Hilltop Farm, Keith Tiegs, eldest son of the late business tycoon Frank Tiegs, navigates his way through the vast expanse in his white Chevy Silverado pickup.

The Washington Potato Co. facility in Warden still smolders the next morning and smoke fills the air after a fire broke out in a potato dehydrator the afternoon of Jan. 21, prompting a response from fire departments across Grant and neighboring Adams counties.

The Washington Potato Company potato dehydration plant in Warden, Washington, was destroyed by a massive fire overnight. The fire caused the immediate evacuation of about a third of nearby town of Warden (pop: 2700) for several hours due to concerns that an ammonia tank located in the plant could burst.

US Farmer cooperative NORPAC Foods filed a motion in bankruptcy court Friday afternoon to sell its Quincy, Washington, plant for USD 93.5 million to Oregon Potato Company.

Agribusiness giant J. R. Simplot is seeking receivership over two of its vegetable suppliers, claiming mismanagement of the $400-million-grossing companies threatens 2,000 jobs and could end in bankruptcy without court intervention.

Oregon Potato Company failed to report an anhydrous ammonia release at their facility in Warden, Washington and will pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a $66,235 penalty.

This week, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries investigation cited Washington Potato Company for 12 serious safety violations and three repeat serious violations with a $99,000 penalty.