INDUSTRY DIRECTORY
January 30, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Grower of the Month

All in a Day's Work: Mike Wagner of Middleton, Idaho

Mike Wagner of Middleton, Idaho
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January 30, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Tyrell Marchant, Editor

Class is in Session: Ag in the Classroom promotes "ag literacy"

Throughout much of history, agriculture was ingrained in and around the way a person was educated.
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January 30, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue

Covering the Bases: Optimizing nitrogen, mulch with perfect proportions...and poultry litter

Most people think farmers grow and harvest crops for food.
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January 30, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Tyrell Marchant, Editor

Crossing the Rubicon : Owning up to your decisions

On Jan. 10, 49 B.C., Julius Caesar was camped with his army on the north bank of the Rubicon River near the town of Ravenna, and he had a choice to make.
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January 30, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue

Get Moving!: Strategies to improve distribution of less soil-mobile nutrients

One of the challenges in making and applying fertilizer blends is that we sometimes make compromises in the way we apply specific nutrients.
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January 30, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Jerry Wright, UPGA President/CEO

NUM83R5 G4M3: The highly connected economics of the U.S. potato industry

U.S. on-farm potato pricing is generally led by four production areas: Idaho, the Columbia Basin, the Red River Valley/Wisconsin region, and the Midwest/Southwest region.
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January 30, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue

Weather or Not: Customizing fertilizer applications in relation to weather

Don’t forget: The weather experienced during a crop year has the greatest effect on crop yields.
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January 30, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue

Where It All Begins: 2015 state certified seed potato reports

Every potato-producing state has legitimate reasons to lay claim to the title of “Best Potatoes,” and that starts with good seed. Following are reports from several states’ respective seed certification programs for 2015.
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January 30, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Tyrell Marchant, Editor

Worth Their Salt: Could salt-tolerant potatoes be the next big thing?

Sodium chloride—it’s a commonplace, fairly unglamorous substance.
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January 26, 2016

Drones Help Detect Disease

Idaho researchers have found a way to use drones to detect diseased potato plants.
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January 25, 2016
Fungicide, Herbicide, Insecticide

International Biocontrol Industry Symposium to be Held in March

The International Biocontrol Industry Symposium will be held March 1-2, in Monterey, Calif.
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January 25, 2016
Event Calendar

NPC Selects 2016 Leadership

Jim Tiede from James Tiede Farms in American Falls, Idaho, was elected to serve as NPC’s president for 2016 and to lead the council’s executive committee.
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January 22, 2016
Elizabeth Anderson

Growers Wanted on Remote Island: Tristan da Cunha needs help to become more self-sufficient.

The world’s most remote inhabited island is searching for a British farmer to boost its food production and help maintain its independence.
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January 22, 2016

Tomra Unifies Brand

Tomra Sorting Food has reached an important milestone in its history.
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January 21, 2016
Seed Potatoes

130 Peruvian Potato Varieties Cataloged

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January 21, 2016

Owls Effective as Rodent Control

Imagine owning a machine that swoops over your property while you sleep and removes thousands of rodent pests per year. with little maintenance and at a fraction of the cost of poisoning or trapping. Just such a machine is the barn owl.
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January 18, 2016
Tad Thompson, The Produce News

Reds Could Enjoy 2016 Uptick

The overall mood of several Red River Valley red potato shippers reflected substantial disappointment with low prices as 2015 shipping drew to a close. However, streaks of optimism simmered based on several points.
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January 18, 2016
Event Calendar, Fertilizer

Idaho Soil Health Workshop to Be Held

The Cassia and Minidoka Soil and Water Conservation districts will sponsor a soil health workshop Feb. 17 in Burley, Idaho.
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January 15, 2016
Fungicide, Seed Potatoes

Innate Gen 2 Gets FDA Safety Clearance

The FDA has completed its food and feed safety assessment of the J.R. Simplot Company’s second generation of Innate potatoes and concluded they are safe for the marketplace.
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January 13, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Bill Brewer

Goodness Unearthed: "Best Potato" contest enhances variety development

In 2006, during an Oregon Potato Commission (OPC) research committee meeting, discussion about Tri-State Variety Development activities was being presented.
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January 13, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
David Fraser

Teaching by Experience: The USPB "Expo Experience"

With a Potato Expo 2016 that promises to be the biggest and best ever, one thing is for certain: You will not want to miss the newly re-imagined and interactive “USPB Expo Experience” in Booth 602, right at the front entrance of the trade show floor.
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January 13, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Smorgasbord

The Smorgasbord: Clearwater Russet: Clearwater Russet

Because consumers’ tastes are constantly changing and expanding, potato growers have to keep on their toes to ensure they are growing the best varieties for their region as well as for their target customer.
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January 13, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Don McMoran, Washington State University Extension

Trip of a Lifetime: WSU Team Explores Potatoes' Birthplace

Extension faculty members have the pleasure of meeting the needs of the producers with the knowledge base of their respective universities.
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January 13, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Adam Novello Business & Program Manager

Wish Granted: Michigan grant to get potatoes into school

The Michigan Potato Industry Commission (MPIC) is excited to report on receiving its most recent grant, titled “Bettering the School Nutrition Platform for Students in Michigan through Increasing Accessibility to Potatoes.”
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January 08, 2016
Fertilizer
Lisa Heacox

Complex Fertilizer Market Brings Mixed Feelings

Declining fertilizer prices and plentiful supplies should be good news for growers facing low crop prices. But they and their ag retailers have been struggling with determining the right timing to pull the trigger on purchase decisions.
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January 08, 2016

GE Crop Study Nears Completion

Two decades after their introduction, genetically engineered crops remain a hot-button issue—especially when it comes to their use in food.
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January 08, 2016

Shipper Enjoys Good Movement

Red River Valley red potato shipper O.C. Schulz & Sons Inc. is ahead of its shipping volume of a year ago
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
John Keeling, Executive VP and CEO, National Potato Council

First-Class Flight: Fly-In participants prep for new year in Congress

In 2015, during the first session of the 114th Congress, potato growers made their voices heard by their senators and representatives both on Capitol Hill and in their home districts and states.
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Tyrell Marchant, Editor

Historical Significance: PAA celebrates 100 years

The Potato Association of America (PAA) will celebrate its 100th annual meeting July 31 through Aug. 4 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Mich.
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Andrew Kniss, University of Wyoming

Is More Really More?: Could spraying more herbicides reduce resistance?

In a post on my Control Freaks blog in June 2014, I suggested that there exists a “resistance management paradox” when it comes to slowing the evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds.
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Jeff Stark, Rich Novy & Jonathan Whitworth, University of Idaho

New Kids on the Block: New varieties from the Northwest Potato Variety Development Program

Four new russet varieties were released in 2015 from the cooperative USDA-ARS/University of Idaho potato breeding and variety development program in Aberdeen, Idaho.
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Barry J. Jacobsen and Nina K. Zidack

No Mere Snake Oil: Where mineral oils fit in virus management programs

Potato viruses are transmitted by aphids in two basic ways.
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2015 issue
Bill Loftus, University of Idaho

Out of This World: Case study explores farming on Mars

If University of Idaho food scientist Helen Joyner were part of a mining mission to Mars and knew she’d be growing and eating three crops the entire mission, she’d grow potatoes, soybeans and corn.
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue

Set to Autopilot: Automation proving to be essential to sorting success

Continued advances in automation and robotics are making the global food manufacturing and processing industries safer, more efficient and able to deliver higher profits.
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Gwen Rassemusse

What's on the Menu?: Making potatoes a trendy choice

Potatoes are still seen as a traditional meal element by the majority of consumers, and that, for the most part, is a good thing.
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Clemens Delatrée

Smartening Up: Decisions as important as precision

Conventional agriculture is facing a major challenge: To provide enough food for ourselves and our livestock well into the future, agriculture must become more efficient.
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January 06, 2016| Published in the January 2016 issue
Darcy Maulsby

Untold Benefits: New research shows neonicotinoids' economic, social impact

Lee Townsend cringes when he hears media reports linking broad bee health maladies to the labeled use of neonicotinoids, especially since there’s no scientific research to back up the claims.
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January 06, 2016
Ryan O'Hare

“Egg and Chips” Plant Produces Two Vegetables

British horticulturalists have succeeded in developing a plant that grows eggplants from its stem and potatoes as tubers under the soil.
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January 06, 2016
Irrigation

Senninger Joins Hunter Industries

Senninger Irrigation has joined the Hunter Industries family of companies, effective Jan. 4. Senninger and Hunter have been strategic partners since 2004 through an OEM relationship.
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January 06, 2016
Event Calendar, Fertilizer, Irrigation

Webinar: Fertigation in Arid Regions

The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) will host a webinar discussing the efficient use of irrigation water and mineral fertilizers in arid regions.
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January 05, 2016
Event Calendar
Lora Abcarian

Washington/Oregon Conference Growing

The Washington/Oregon Potato Conference will be held Jan. 26-28 in Kennewick, Wash. More than 2,000 growers, suppliers, researchers and other interested parties are expected to attend the conference.
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January 04, 2016
Potato Harvesting, Potato Storage, Seed Potatoes
Cindy Snyder

Potato Prices Forecast to Go Down

Bruce Huffaker hopes growers choose to idle acres in 2016 rather than increase potato acreage, but history suggests that won’t be the case.
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January 01, 2016
Potato Equipment

Climb on Up: Tractor Buyers’ Guide

Tractor buyers’ guide
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