In March 1908, the "Potato Special" came into the Roaring Fork Valley with government agents promoting potatoes through demonstrations of the latest tools, species, and techniques. Local ranchers responded, and by 1922 potatoes were grown in the Valley more than any other crop. Although cattle brought greater profits, most local families devoted part of their land to potatoes because the well-drained soil and available irrigation suited the crop, which helped many families endure the Great Depression. At its height, the Roaring Fork Valley shipped more than 3.5 million pounds of potatoes to outside markets each year. Growing and harvesting potatoes required extensive labor, and entire families worked long hours through the seasons, from selecting and cutting seed potatoes and planting them by plow or machine to weeding in summer and digging, gathering, sacking, and hauling the crop in fall. In 1930, workers were paid 5 to 8 cents per sack, and high school students who often left school for the harvest could earn $1.50 a day, considered good wages during the Great Depression.