Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32M A R C H 2 0 1 7 20 POTATO GROWER Jim Vistad Receives NPPGA’s Meritorious Service Award Posthumously In 1969 Jim Vistad has just finished school at the State School of Science in Wahpeton, North Dakota study- ing Industrial Drafting and he need- ed a job so he went to the emply- ment office in Grand Forks, North Dakota. As he was waiting in a room full of people a man came into the office and said “I need a couple of men to come and clean up the shop at a local fertilizer plant.” Jim was the only person in the room to stand up and that was the begin- ning of his work with Northland Chemical Company. In 1970 Jim met and married his wife, Cheryl and they celebrated 46 wonderful years together. They have two daughters, Kelly Pfingsten and Katie Suda and also three grandchil- dren, Gabbey, Benjamin, and Zachary. In 1973 he was transferred to the Grafton, North Dakota plant. and he had Larry Kennedy as his super- visor. In 1974 Simplot purchased the Northland Chemical Company and his carreer with Simplot began. In 1979, Jim was was asked to go to Hoople, North Dakota to open a Simplot fertilizer and chemical store. Business was slow at first, but Jim started going for coffee at the local cafe and visiting with the farmers and business soon picked up. Jim moved his family to Hoople and they spent five years there. In 1983 Jim moved back to the Grafton Simplot plant to replace Larry Kennedy, who had been his supervisor in the past. After 32 years with Simplot in 2005 Jim retired. He was only retired for two days before he realized that retirement wasn’t for him. He started J&R Ag with Wilbur Ellis. They spent the first days of business working out of Jim’s kitchen and then many months in a small trailer while the office and warehouse was being built. Jim continued to work at J&R Ag until he passed away last July. During all these years Jim was a Certified Crop Consultant, a mem- ber of the NPPGA Potato Associates and he also served on many com- mittees in the ag industry. We thank Jim and his family for their support of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association and all the growers in the Red River Valley. Cheryl Vistad, daughters Kelly and Katie, and the extended family attend the banquet to celebrate Jim’s NPPGA Meritorious Service Award. Highest R-Value Insulation Moisture Barriers Fire Proofing Flat Roofs The Insulation Place 14770 69th Place NE • Grafton, ND 58237 ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ Urethane Spray-On Insulation Eliminates air infiltration & stops condensation Grafton (701) 352-3233 1-800-352-0620 Bismarck (701) 255-0025 1-866-425-0025 Website www.theinsulationplace.com