Today, the following letter was distributed to leaders of the U.S. potato industry by Britt Raybould, 2020 president of the National Potato Council:
When we all said goodbye to each other at the end of the 2020 NPC Annual Meeting in January, we could never have predicted how the year would play out. While our industry has struggled to pull through during these unprecedented times, we can all be proud of the leaders elected at the Annual Meeting, who have worked tirelessly over the last six months to fight for the industry and deliver relief to America’s potato producers and processors. This pandemic truly has shown what can be achieved when our volunteer leaders come together to work for the future of the industry.
Now, as we prepare for the 2021 Annual Meeting, which will elect next year’s set of grower leaders, we’ve needed to make some hard decisions based on currently available information. As such, we have decided to move the meeting to coincide with the Potato D.C. Fly-In in February.
Although we are still planning on an in-person component for Potato Expo, moving the Annual Meeting to the Potato D.C. Fly-In will allow those who may not feel comfortable traveling in January to potentially join us the following month. Additionally, the change will allow our leadership, staff, and state partners to focus the Annual Meeting’s discussions on the policy priorities and concrete actions that will maximize our ability as we continue to Stand Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill.
The Fly-in is scheduled for February 22-25, 2021 at the Marriott Metro Center in Washington, D.C. Details for the Annual Meeting are being worked out and will be announced as soon as they are finalized in order to accommodate travel planning. The Nominating Committee will meet virtually earlier in February, prior to the in-person meeting in D.C.
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for all of your support as we navigate this new direction for our organization together.
St. Anthony, Idaho
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