INDUSTRY DIRECTORY
December 29, 2015
Event Calendar

Organic Farming Conference to be Held

Registration is open for the MOSES Organic Farming Conference. The conference will take place Feb. 25-27 in La Crosse, Wis.
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December 28, 2015

Top Ten Stories

A look back at the most PotatoGrower.com's most popular stories of 2015.
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December 28, 2015

Safety Net Coverage Available

Producers who chose coverage from the safety net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill can now sign contracts to enroll in coverage for 2016.
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December 26, 2015

Ag Conservation Easement Funds Available

The NRCS is accepting applications for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
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December 24, 2015

Teams Explore Martian Farming: Crop harvested under Red Planet conditions will aid Earth farming

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December 23, 2015
Potato Equipment, Potato Harvesting, Potato Storage, Seed Potatoes
Teresa Wright

P.E.I. Board Takes Over Disinfection

Disinfection services for potato growers and shippers will go on in Prince Edward Island, in spite of a controversial cut in funding from the provincial government.
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December 22, 2015
Potato Harvesting
Anthony Brino

Maine Schools Re-examine Harvest Break

Not that long ago, many teenagers bought their winter clothes and other things they wanted with money earned working on farms during the fall potato harvest.
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December 21, 2015

"Tater Tacos" Win Tailgating Recipe Contest

Hungry football fans across the country entered the Idaho Potato Commission’s tailgating recipe contest.
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December 18, 2015
Potato Harvesting, Potato Storage

North Dakota Potato Stocks Up

Potato stocks in North Dakota are up 15 percent from a year ago.
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December 17, 2015

MountainKing Renews Dedication to Reds

MountainKing Potatoes says it is making a “New Year’s REDolution,” a special retail promotion focusing on the company’s popular red potatoes.
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December 15, 2015

Funding Available for Organic Research

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the availability of $17.6 million in funding to support research and outreach activities that will help growers, producers and processors seek ways to improve organic agriculture.
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December 15, 2015
Potato Harvesting, Potato Storage
Anthony Brino

Workers Hard to Find for Maine Program

The Maine Potato Board has been having trouble recruiting people to work in its annual bruise survey program, even at an hourly wage of $14.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Frank Muir, IPC President and CEO

Buy, Get, Give: Holiday promotion to aid food banks

This holiday season, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is partnering with Unilever’s Country Crock buttery spread in what promises to be one of the IPC’s biggest national retail holiday promotions in its history.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Jerry Wright, UPGA President/CEO

Free to Choose: How much product should go onto the market?

A great advantage to living in America is being free to choose.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Joseph C. Kuhl & Allan B. Caplan, Associate Professors, UI Plant, Soil & Entomological Sciences

Modern Approach: Cultivar development in the 21st century

For many hundreds of years, breeders have been using a multitude of tools and tricks to modify tuber-producing species of the genus Solanum (of the nightshade family) into the great variety of potatoes that we now grow.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Meredith Myers, USPB Public Relations Manager

Potato A to Z Nutrition

We have spent a long time as an industry defending the good name of the potato.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
John Keeling, Executive VP and CEO

Prime Oppurtunity: Network with decision makers at Potato Expo 2016

Potato Expo will kick off 2016 with the industry’s most wide-ranging networking and educational experience.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Tyrell Marchant, Editor

All is Calm : Why the shepherds?

Every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember, whatever family members I’ve been with have gathered around and read the Nativity story from the second chapter of Luke.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
HZPC Staff

Big Things in Small Packages: Are hybrid potato seeds the future?

Hybrid potatoes are piquing the interests of people both within and outside the potato sector.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Chris Harrell

Breaking Down Resistance: A select group of agricultural advisers are leading the charge against resistance across the U.S.

Ask most members of Syngenta’s Resistance Fighter of the Year Leadership Program what they consider the most rewarding part of their role, and each will likely give a similar response.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Scott Weybright, Washington State University

Earning Their Stripes: Researchers receive $2.7 million to research zebra chip

Zebra chip disease, caused by a bacterium carried by insects, can ruin a potato crop.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Holly Beech

Fond Memories: The late Jim Zalewski inspires

Every year in June, when the potato plants bloomed, Jacqueline Zalewski would receive a bouquet of the blossoms from her husband, Jim.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue

Injection Site: Agri-Inject sees increased use for water acidification

To anyone unacquainted with agriculture in the western states, putting sulfuric acid on a crop might sound like agronomic suicide.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Gary Isaacs

Making Weight: Creating the perfect storage atmosphere

Potatoes are sold by weight.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue

Nuclear Power: Technology drives production of early-generation seed

CETS (Controlled Environmental Technology System) LLC is a supplier of equipment and innovation that produces AstroTubers (nuclear material, the earliest generation in potato production).
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Grower of the Month
Tyrell Marchant, Editor

The Good Life: Tucker Farms in Gabriels, N.Y.

Tucker Farms in Gabriels, N.Y.
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December 14, 2015
Jim Day

P.E.I. Grower Appeals Environmental Charge

Alex Docherty says principle is driving his long fight after being charged with violating Canada’s Environmental Protection Act in 2012.
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December 14, 2015| Published in the December 2015 issue
Rob Griesbach, Deputy Assistant Administrator, USDA-ARS

Happy Anniversary: ARS Utilization Centers celebrate 75 years

Between late 2015 and early 2016, each of the four Agricultural Research Service utilization centers will celebrate its 75th anniversary.
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December 11, 2015

Potato Drop Moves to Idaho Capitol Building

A new year is just around the corner, and that means Idaho can expect one large potato come Dec. 31.
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December 10, 2015
Anthony Brino

Crane Named Maine Young Farmer of the Year

Ryan Crane of Exeter, Maine, is being held up as a model for managing a large, rotating potato operation.
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December 09, 2015
Tom Karst

Biotech Potato Set for Deregulation

A new version of J.R. Simplot’s Innate biotech potato has been given preliminary approval by federal officials.
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December 08, 2015

P.E.I. Potato Board: Truck Disinfection Will Stay: Provincially funded truck spraying ends Dec. 31

The P.E.I. Potato Board is looking at its options to ensure a potato disinfection service continues in the province. Under the current provincially funded program, trucks carrying potatoes are sprayed to help prevent bacterial ring rot.
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December 07, 2015

Volumes Down, Prices Higher

Total U.S. potato production numbers for 2015 are lower than in 2014, but prices look to climb.
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December 07, 2015
David Fraser

Online Tool Helps Retailers Sell Potatoes

A series of short training videos released by the U.S. Potato Board aims to help retailers see better sales of fresh potatoes.
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December 04, 2015

Researchers Search for Best Fry Varieties: Researchers working to cut unwanted chemical from french fries

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December 03, 2015
Potato Harvesting
Mike Hornick

Bloggers Tour Idaho Harvest

A new video from the Idaho Potato Commission portrays a tour of the Idaho potato harvest for food bloggers and members of the foodservice industry
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December 03, 2015

Bayer Seeks Young Farmers for Award: The Young Farmer Sustainability Award acknowledges young producers who demonstrate excellence in environmental and economic sustainability.

Bayer CropScience is seeking young agricultural producers who demonstrate leadership and excellence in the areas of business and environmental sustainability through the 2016 Young Farmer Sustainability Award.
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December 02, 2015
J.W. Schnarr

Alberta Grower to Speak at UN Climate Conference

A Coaldale, Alberta, potato grower will step on to the world stage to discuss opportunities in sustainable agriculture at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in France.
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December 01, 2015
Seed Potatoes
Michael Wright

Montana Grower to Open Distillery

Each year come harvest time, potato growers pick out the ugly ones and often use them as compost or livestock feed. Jeff Droge wanted to have more fun with them.
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