Washington, D.C., is often thought of as a city ripe with corruption, backbiting, infidelity and half-truths. But it is also a place full of history, packed with memorials to men and women still held in the highest esteem for their representation of honesty, courage and unselfishness. The D.C. that shows up on postcards is meant to be a monument to all the things that make America great.
Each February, potato growers and industry leaders from across the country—men and women for whom I can vouch as being honest, brave and unselfish—descend on the nation’s capital for the National Potato Council-hosted D.C. Fly-In. The event, which has been held annually for over 60 years, is a combination of entertainment, education and advocacy meant to give the potato industry an audible voice in Washington. The 2015 Fly-In will be held Feb. 23-26.
The 2015 D.C. Fly-In will make its headquarters at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel. While there, attendees will hear speeches from some of the country’s foremost political pundits and forecasters. Experts on several different issues specifically relevant to the potato industry will also present to the attendees, providing background for the crowning jewel of the Fly-In: personal visits to agency officials and members of Congress. “The focal point,” says John Keeling, NPC’s executive vice president and CEO, “is that the growers will go up on the Hill, meet with their members of Congress, talk specifically about the issues that affect them, and talk about the legislation that may be moving to impact those issues.”
And though the vast majority of Fly-In attendees are growers, they’re not the only ones with a vested interest in those issues. “We have some of the allied industry folks come as well as growers,” says Keeling. “We think that’s an area we’ll see increase over time. If a representative of one of the frozen processors comes and talks about the potatoes and about the jobs involved in processing those potatoes, it’s a more complete message.”
Keeling says that, though many growers may initially feel uncomfortable or nervous about visits with such high-ranking officials, members of Congress are eager to hear from them. “Growers don’t need to be experts in the legislative process,” he says. “They need to speak from the heart. They need to speak about how these issues impact them.
“These Congressmen and Senators care about hearing form their constituents, people who live and work and create jobs in their districts,” Keeling continues. “There’s just no substitute for having that grower go in and talk to that member. It’s much more meaningful.”
“The Potato D.C. Fly-In offers a unique opportunity to growers to help influence their legislators in Washington on federal issues that impact the way they operate their small businesses,” says Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho). “Whether they have concerns about the misguided exclusion of fresh white potatoes from federal nutrition programs or the regulatory overreach of EPA in its Waters of the U.S. proposal, attendees will be better served by directly engaging with their members of Congress.”
Along with the important issues to which Simpson alludes, Keeling expects highway truck weight, immigration reform, presidential trade promotion authority, tax reform, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement to all be hot topics when the Fly-In commences in February, though there’s no guarantee as to what will be most pertinent then. “With Congress you’re never certain when they’re going to pick something up,” he says. “So we’re always working on something that’s more immediate and something that’s longer- or mid-term.”
It’s not only legislators from major potato-producing areas such as Idaho and the Red River Valley that will hear from the Fly-In, though they will certainly be a part. Attendees will also visit with specific legislative committee members—for example, the Senate and House Transportation Committees—whose committees could play a role in potato-related issues. The NPC has also made a concerted effort in recent years to involve growers who may not hail from traditional potato powers.
“A state like Nebraska or Texas or Nevada, where there are potatoes but not necessarily organizations that can support the activities of coming to Washington, can give a big boost to the industry,” Keeling says. “It’s been a focus for us to spread our geographic political connections beyond just those traditional growing states. Growers from some of those states are very excited about coming to D.C. and being a part of this.”
While the success of the greater potato industry will always hinge on the dirty work done in the fields, event’s like the D.C. Potato Fly-In have both immediate and long-term impacts on the future of growers. An increase in highway truck weights, for example, is a legislative concern that would yield almost instantaneous results, providing by some estimates a 15 percent increase in shipping efficiency. The same hands that have dirt chronically caked under their fingernails are the hands that have the power to effect change on Capitol Hill.
“It’s not an easy thing because these growers have very difficult, demanding day jobs, and they have families,” says Keeling. “But it is important that they be involved, not only on a national level, but in their states and communities.
“And it does make a difference.”