An IGSA welcome to all who plan to attend the Idaho Grower Shippers Association’s 87th annual convention! A wonderful setting, a great list of educational opportunities, industry-wide meetings and issues updates, and many recreational and networking activities make this the premier event in the Idaho potato industry.
Our theme this year is “Idaho Potatoes…Certifiably the Best.” This theme is in reference to the fact that only potatoes grown in Idaho can be certified as such with the Idaho seal, and that is the signal to our consumers that they are getting only the best potatoes.
Why are Idaho potatoes the best? Everyone has heard about the exceptional potato-growing conditions in Idaho—the perfect climate, the rich volcanic soils, the warm days and cool nights. But it seems like maybe there’s a little more to it. It must be the vast experience and expertise of our Idaho growers and shippers.
Maybe there’s even more to it—perhaps the vast array of technological advances employed by the Idaho potato industry from fertilizer and irrigation application to storage control and advancements in packing shed equipment. Is it the industry suppliers we have here, from storage and treatment applicators to the packaging innovators and suppliers, to the transportation and financial services providers? The answer, of course, is it is all of those things and more.
In a review of some of the most important industry topics over this past year, we finally saw an end to the USDA policy restricting fresh white potatoes from the WIC program. Language was successfully added in the federal appropriations bills that provided a solution to this top industry priority. The industry owes thanks to a number of legislators, including Idaho’s own Congressman Mike Simpson, for their leadership in finally bringing this issue to a successful conclusion.
Work continues on gaining access for U.S. potatoes into the Mexican market, and we remain hopeful that despite the seemingly endless challenges, we will reach that goal someday soon. A number of other challenges and issues continue to face the potato industry, including truck weight reform that would allow for an increase in truck weight limits on the national highways, immigration reform that can provide the potato industry with a stable workforce, new potential for federal and voluntary GMO labeling bills, as well as maintaining adequate federal funding for potato research and pest control activities. You will be able to hear updates on a number of these issues at this year’s convention.
I also want to thank all the association members for their support throughout the past year. The opportunity to represent Idaho’s grower-shippers is not only a great responsibility, but a greatly rewarding experience as well.
I want to thank the IGSA Board of Directors for their service and dedication to the Idaho potato industry. These fine women and men put in a significant amount of time and effort to help move our association forward for the betterment of the entire membership. A special thanks to this year’s chairman, Robert Tominaga, for his dedicated service to the IGSA. His commitment to the potato industry and passion for agricultural education led to the association’s establishment of five new Idaho FFA Foundation scholarships to benefit young Idaho students pursuing careers in agriculture. Please take a minute to thank Robert as well as the rest of the Board members for their service to the industry.
A very big thank-you to all of the IGSA Sun Valley convention sponsors. We could not do all this without the support and industry leadership these companies have displayed.
In closing an article about the finest Idaho potatoes, I would just reflect for a moment on the classic movie Vacation. When our consumers around the country and the world may pose a question such as, “Reeeeal Idaho potatoes, Eddie?” we can respond just as cousin Eddie did, “Ohhh, nothin’ but the best!”