This column appears in the January 2021 issue of Potato Grower.
Looking back on 2020 is almost like viewing two entirely separate worlds: one is pre-COVID, and the other is what we have been living with since the shutdowns began.
Pre-COVID, the U.S. potato industry generally was having a strong year. At NPC, we had a new team in place and were extremely proud to follow the largest Potato Expo ever with a highly successful Potato D.C. Fly-In, outstanding 2020 Leadership Institute, and strong kickoff for the new Potato LEAF Foundation.
As a new CEO, I was thrilled at the value our talented team was delivering for the industry.
Then March happened. As the weeks wore on, a predictable cascade of events occurred that threatened the livelihoods of family farmers and industry partners across the country. Without foodservice customers, the inevitable backlogs and industry impact were staggering, both for growers and for our D.C. team as advocates for the industry.
Over the course of my 20-plus-year career in Washington, I’ve dealt with many disaster relief programs. Yet it was still sobering to see the COVID numbers, which had lots of extra zeros attached to them. To help people visualize the industry’s challenge, as we gathered the data to explain to USDA and Capitol Hill how big the backlog of potatoes would be, we determined that at its height it could fill the U.S. Capitol building 14 times over.
In response, our industry rallied into action. NPC and the state potato organizations created a simple but effective plan to immediately provide relief: First, we had to push USDA to temporarily become our customer in the absence of the foodservice industry in order to clear out the growing backlog. Second, we needed to convince USDA to provide meaningful disaster relief to growers who were impacted, in order to stabilize these family farms until the marketplace strengthened.
All of this focused teamwork generated results. USDA responded by providing both the largest surplus commodity purchase program and the largest direct payment disaster relief program for growers in our industry’s history. We believe these actions have kept us in the game as consumer demand regains its strength domestically and internationally.
Though we aren’t out of the woods yet, I think the challenges that COVID forced upon us and our industry’s response provide some optimism looking forward. In short, we aren’t helpless against this crisis, and the clear steps we took put us on a path to relief.
Unfortunately, COVID is continuing to impact our industry as NPC and our state partners make plans for 2021. After serious deliberation, the Potato LEAF Foundation board of directors decided not to conduct a Potato Industry Leadership Institute class for 2021 given the health and logistical challenges surrounding the pandemic.
Additionally, NPC’s executive committee transitioned the 2021 Potato D.C. Fly-In to a virtual event due to D.C. government, congressional and federal agency restrictions regarding COVID-19. The meeting will now occur the week of Feb. 22-26 as originally scheduled, and will include the NPC Annual Meeting, all in a virtual format.
The decision to make these changes, as well as holding a virtual Potato Expo 2021, was painful economically for NPC and organizationally for the industry. Regardless, the decisions were clearly the right and responsible ones. This industry is resilient and will come out on the other side of this crisis even stronger than before.
Although the impact of COVID-19 continues to ripple across the country, we know these immediate challenges will not be the last crisis faced by the industry. Hopefully, the decisive actions we took over the past year, followed by our cohesive, disciplined pursuit of them can also be applied toward whatever comes at us in the future and with similar productive results.
Best of luck with 2021. I will look forward to seeing you all in person very soon.