2015 Land Report 100: Simplot Family

No. 17 Simplot Family

443,591 acres (up 21,091 acres)
Sustainability serves as a guiding principle for Boise-based J.R. Simplot Company, which focuses on phosphate mining, fertilizers, farming, ranching, cattle, food processing, and other agricultural endeavors. The mastermind behind the frozen French fry, patriarch J.R. Simplot was credited with thinking green long before the concept existed. In 2015, the FDA approved the safety of Simplot’s trademarked Innate potato varieties, which boast fewer black spots from bruising and stay whiter longer. Even competitors concede it’s a game changer.