American potato growers have fought and won what one industry leader calls “a long, lonely battle” to restore the vegetable to the approved list for the government’s Women, Infants and Children program.
Now, the industry faces new challenges and opportunities, including marketing spuds to so-called Generation Z, officials said.
Leaders of the National Potato Council, the U.S. Potato Board and United Potato Growers of America spoke Wednesday in Grand Forks, N.D., at the first day of the two-day International Crop Expo. The event, which combines activities sponsored by small grains, potato and soybean groups, is expected to draw 5,000 people and about 175 exhibits.
The event resumes at 9 a.m. today and closes at 4 p.m.
Potatoes are an important crop in the Red River Valley. It’s the nation’s leading producer of red potatoes and the only region that produces in volume for the chip, fresh, seed and process markets.
Potato growers in the Red River Valley and elsewhere welcomed the recent announcement by the prestigious Institute of Medicine that people aren’t getting enough starchy vegetables or potassium and fiber, nutrients that are plentiful in potatoes. That clears the way for white potatoes to be eligible for subsidized vouchers under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s WIC program, which helps low-income pregnant women and mothers provide good nutrition for their families.
Eight years ago, the Institute of Medicine recommended not allowing white potatoes on the WIC list. USDA, following that recommendation, removed the vegetable. The potato industry has fought since then to restore white potatoes.
“Eight years. It was a long, lonely battle. But we won,” said John Keeling, executive vice president and CEO of the National Potato Council. The Washington, D.C.-based council provides a unified voice for potato growers nationwide on legislative, regulatory, environmental and trade issues.
Science and common sense always supported including white potatoes on the WIC list, he said. “To keep potatoes out was just bizarre to me,” he said.
Keeling blamed “very strong political opposition” and inaction by Congress for the long delay in restoring the vegetable to the WIC list.
Even so, the potato industry persevered, he said.
“WIC was an amazing issue. It shows what this organization and this industry can do if they stick to it,” he said. “It was a very gratifying victory for our industry.”
Potato growers can use the WIC reversal to say, “Don’t discount potatoes. Don’t discount the nutrition that potatoes have to offer,” Keeling said.
The potato industry still has other challenges to face, officials said in Grand Forks.
One concern is that crop pesticide is hurting the health of bees across the country. The potato industry thinks “bee health is a complicated issue,” with pesticide only one of many factors involved, Keeling said.
Marketing issues
Marketing spuds to the new generation of Americans, sometimes known as Generation Z, is an ongoing challenge, said Blair Richardson, president and CEO of the Denver-based U.S. Potato Board, the nation’s potato marketing and research organization.
Transparency and honesty are essential in marketing to Generation Z, which consists of Americans in school, Richardson said.
Generation Z members respond well to “experiential” marketing, or direct, personal experiences with a product, he said.
Potato growers have many opportunities to sell their product overseas, said Carl Hoverson, a Larimore, N.D., potato farmer and co-chairman of the U.S. Potato Board’s International Marketing Committee.
“This is really an exciting time for U.S. growers,” he said.
One example: On a recent trip to the Philippines, he saw a street vendor selling a large amount of french fries from a small cart.
“Making a buck”
Jerry Wright, CEO of the United Potato Growers of America, also spoke in Grand Forks. The Salt Lake City-based organization is a farmer cooperative that focuses on managing its members’ potato supply to improve their economic success.
“In the end, it’s all about making a buck,” he said.
Regional and local supplies have a greater impact than national supplies on growers’ returns, Wright said.
He advised growers to “be cautious, be extremely cautious, in this enfironment.”
Source: Grand Forks Herald