Idaho agriculture icon Carl Hobbs, Spudnik co-founder, passes away at 96
Seth Ratliff
BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — Carl Hobbs, an icon in Idaho’s agricultural history who co-founded the globally recognized Spudnik Equipment Company and revolutionized potato farming, died peacefully on November 20, 2025, at his Blackfoot home. He was 96. Hobbs was surrounded by his family, including his sweetheart and wife of 71 years, Betty Hobbs.
Alongside his brother, Leo, Carl Hobbs co-founded Spudnik Equipment in 1958. “Carl didn’t just build equipment, he helped build Idaho,” said Hobb’s grandson, Dr. Wade Brenner.
Life and Innovation
Born on April 23, 1929, in Wilford, Idaho, Hobbs’ life began in a three-room, dirt-roof log house without electricity, plumbing, or running water, and only kept warm by a single wood-burning stove.
The William Hobbs home built in 1887. The people pictured are members of the Alvin Hobbs family, who lived there for many years. Courtesy: Hobbs family.
From the age of eight, Carl and his brother Leo were immersed in farm life, milking cows and modifying their family’s tractors to improve performance—a habit that would define their careers.
Boyhood photos, courtesy Hobbs family
Carl (Right) alongside Leo (Left) and Bus Gardner (Center). Courtesy: Wade Brenner
In 1957, while working for Albert Longhurst on a potato farm north of Blackfoot, in the backbreaking process of manually piling and shoveling potatoes in the cellar, the brothers had an idea that would go on to revolutionize the farming industry.
“There has to be a better way to move potatoes,” Brenner recounted his grandfather thinking. “That is when the first self-propelled swing boom potato piler and potato scooper were born.”
Spudnik is born
The name “Spudnik” famously combined the iconic Idaho “spud” with the world’s fascination with Russia’s “Sputnik,” the first satellite launched into space.
The Spudnik scooper and piler transformed potato farming. The self-propelled scooper could gently accomplish the work of twenty men, leading to their company’s logo: “Potatoes Handled Like Babies.”
Their innovations didn’t stay local for long. The Hobbs brothers’ original designs helped fundamentally shape the global potato industry and remain the backbone of modern potato farming today, now expanded into a full line of potato farming machinery used worldwide.
Carl and Betty Hobbs visit Spudnik. Courtesy: Hobbs Family
“Behind each one is a piece of Carl Hobbs’ legacy,” said Brenner. “Today, as Idaho farmers harvest their crops using machines inspired by his earliest designs, Carl’s legacy lives on in every row, every season, and every family that depends on the land and potatoes.”
After 45 years of business, Carl Hobbs sold Spudnik to the GRIMME GROUP in Germany in 2003, which continues the Spudnik line to this day.
“My proudest moment was from the time we built it til I sold out,” Hobbs said. “And I’m still proud of it because we couldn’t have found a better person in the whole world to take it over and we did.”
Husband, Father, Grandfather, Community Member
For Idaho potato growers, Spudnik was an integral part of the community. Brenner says his grandfather made it a point to know the farmers personally, often visiting them to learn of their specific needs. Generations of Idaho families have worked with Spudnik, and the company is credited with creating thousands of jobs, cementing its status as one of the most iconic and recognized potato equipment brands worldwide.
“Ask anyone who knew him — Carl was a builder, a problem-solver, and the kind of man who would drop everything to help a neighbor,” said Brenner. “He loved Idaho, the potato industry, and he treated employees like family.”
Carl and Betty’s 4 daughters
Carl’s daughter Jody on a Scooper
To his own family, now 136 strong and growing, Brenner says Carl Hobbs was more than an inventor. He was a beloved husband and a compassionate father, and a cherished grandfather.
Funeral Services
Carl Hobb’s extended family will hold a viewing on Friday, November 28th, from 6:00 Pm to 8:00 pm at the Hawker Funeral Home in Blackfoot. His funeral will be held this Saturday, November 29th, at the Blackfoot LDS Stake Center at 2 pm, with a viewing 1 hour prior at 1:00 pm. Hobb’s family says all are welcome to attend and celebrate his life and the impact he had on Idaho and the world