One of the greatest challenges facing the potato industry has little to do with production or marketing challenges. In order to succeed tomorrow, we must work to develop the next generation of agriculture leaders today. The National Potato Council (NPC) sponsors two annual programs designed to develop future leaders and motivate young growers to commit their time to the betterment of the industry.
NPC Graduate Level Scholarship
Each year, the NPC awards one $10,000 academic scholarship to a graduate student pursuing advanced studies in agribusiness or plant science related to potatoes. The 2014 scholarship winner was Washington Luis da Silva, a plant pathology Ph.D. student at Cornell University. His research into potato tuber necrotic ring spot disease will offer insight into the issues related to infections from potato virus Y necrotic strains.
NPC is currently evaluating applications for a scholarship to be applied toward the 2015-16 academic year, and the scholarship winner will be announced in August. The winner will be invited to display his or her work at the Potato Research Poster Sessions during Potato Expo 2016.
Potato Industry Leadership Institute
The Potato Industry Leadership Institute (PILI) is another program designed to identify and cultivate new leaders within the industry. The program is administered by the NPC and the U.S. Potato Board and identifies and trains the next generation of industry leaders. Each February, a group of up-and-coming growers and industry members come together to sharpen their skills in leadership, public policy, marketing and public communication.
Each year, PILI begins in a different potato-growing region and finishes in Washington, D.C., at the NPC Potato D.C. Fly-In. The 2015 class kicked off in Spokane, Wash., where the class received an overview of the local and national potato industry. The second half of the PILI training was held in Washington, D.C., where the focus moved to legislative and regulatory priorities for the U.S. potato industry. PILI attendees joined in on visits to offices on Capitol Hill, where participants put their lobbying training to work.
PILI graduates are one of the industry’s greatest assets. The NPC and our state partners are working to tap into this stream of talent by encouraging past PILI graduates to participate in NPC policy development and implementation activities to help advance the industry’s federal legislative and regulatory priorities.
As I travel around the country, I see PILI graduates at NPC, USPB and state organization meetings chairing committees and filling leadership posts. NPC is focused on identifying and bringing individuals from all sectors of the industry to fill leadership roles. Whether they are up-and-coming researchers or academics, valued allied industry members, or growers who will one day direct the activities of our state and national potato organizations, it is our goal to prepare tomorrow’s leaders to help secure a healthy and prosperous future for our industry.