Canadians Invited To Join Grower Co-op

Canadian potato growers were offered an invitation to join the newly created United Fresh Potato Grower Cooperative during a presentation made at the National Potato Council/Colorado Potato Administrative Committee seed seminar meeting in progress at Colorado Springs, CO.

In making the invitation, Albert Wada, one of the charter members of the United Fresh Potato Growers of Idaho and one of Idaho's largest fresh grower/shippers, said the Capper-Volstead Co-op Act does not recognize international boundaries.

With that said, there would be no problem for growers to join in a United Fresh of Canada and come in under what is hoped will be a United Fresh cooperative of the Americas.

Already there are efforts to form United Fresh sub-groups in Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and Colorado. In Idaho, the group believes it has 60 percent of the fresh production committed in the UFPGI.

Reaction to the invitation was mixed, but Canadian seed growers at the meeting will take it under advisement.

The UFPGI has over 100 growers signed up. Many believe it will be the only way to manage supply and demand so growers can be assured a fair return to be able to stay in business.