Potato Bytes

Potato News
Friday,April 11, 2008
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Northern Plains Potato Growers Association

Office News

REMINDER!! Scholarship applications are due in our office by next Tuesday, April 15 th.

 From the NPPGA President, Duane Maatz – The weather took parts of our region father from spring once again with a blanket of snow. We would all rather have had rain, but we don’t get to choose.

We are continuing work on our new fiscal year budget. We have now gone through the process of moving this through the budget committee and onto discussions with the executive committee. Parts of our most recent meeting were educational to our newer board members as well as looking at some long range plans in our conduct of business related to income and expense. These efforts are being made to add efficiencies and cost effectiveness to our programming to add value to grower investment.

I appreciate the involvement of those who are representing grower interests and taking their time to volunteer in these positions which are creating a positive direction for our organization and therefore our growers. We will continue our planning in the upcoming weeks.

Don’t forget to thank your seed grower.

From NPPGA Marketing Director, Ted Kreis – Red River Valley Fresh to Officially Join United - The acting Board of Directors for the Red River Valley Fresh Potato Growers Cooperative has voted to go forward with joining the United Potato Growers of America. The first Annual Meeting of the cooperative will be held April 23 rd at 5:00 at Market Place in Grafton. Election of a Board of Directors will take place at this meeting, and the selection of officers. All members are strongly urged to attend, and prospective members are also invited. A meeting notice with the agenda will be mailed out soon to all signed-up members. Please call me if you have any questions.

 NDSU Health Fair a Success - The annual NDSU Health Fair continues to grow. Held each spring in the Student Center on campus, the ballroom is filled with booths promoting a healthy lifestyle. This year, a five question potato quiz, and prizes were used as hooks to draw interest in the booth. Going over their quiz answers gave us a chance to educate the participants in how healthy potatoes are! Over 200 people, mostly students, took the test and we had a lot of fun with it.

This year, Dr. Susie Thompson, NDSU Potato Breeder helped out in the booth. Susie and her crew brought in a wide variety of new samples, along with Ziploc and Glad brand steamer bags to promote a healthy way of preparing potatoes.

Fresh Supplies Tighten – As expected,shipments out of the Valley are now falling well behind last year’s pace as fewer sheds are shipping than at this time last year. Shipments for the remainder of the season are expected to be similar to the spring of 2006 when the Valley had a short crop. This year the low inventory is more the result of very good demand throughout the season. Prices have been flat for the past three weeks in the $14.50 to $15.00 range for A-size reds in totes. Prices should head up soon as supplies become even tighter. Only five sheds are still shipping from the Red River Valley. The 2008 shipping season will end by June 1.

BYTES TRIVIA – John McDonald of Scott’s Express in Grand Forks was last week’s Trivia winner. We had many people respond (which worries me) that knew Jerry Springer was once the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, but John was the first. Congratulations!

Here is this week’s Trivia question: What kind of bird is a Cornish game hen? Send your answer tot kreis@nppga.org. The winner will receive a Potato Associates pocket knife.

THIS WEEK’S DEEP THOUGHT: Is experience what you get when you don't get what you want?

Industry News

From the Minnesota Farm Service Agency - CRP Safe Sign-up Date Announced- Minnesota Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Perry Aasness announced that starting Monday, April 14th, eligible producers may begin enrolling in Minnesota's State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) conservation practice, the Back Forty Pheasant Habitat program. SAFE is a component of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

"Minnesota's Back Forty Pheasant SAFE program is targeted toward helping restore and enhance habitat for ring-necked pheasant populations, as well as benefit waterfowl, greater prairie chickens and other birds," said Aasness. Minnesota has been allocated 23,100 acres for enrollment in the Back Forty Pheasant SAFE program. The Back Forty Pheasant Habitat SAFE practice is intended to restore pheasant and greater prairie chicken habitat by establishing small blocks of grassland (10-40 acres) and enhancing existing habitats; several grassland dependent birds that are in severe decline will also benefit.

Under CRP, farmers and ranchers enroll eligible land in 10- to 15-year contracts with USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation. These plantings help prevent soil and nutrients from running into regional waterways and affecting water quality. The long-term vegetative cover also improves wildlife habitat and soil quality. In addition to the annual rental payment and cost-share, SAFE may offer participants an up front one-time CRP Signing Incentive Payment (SIP) of $100 per each SIP-eligible acre and a Practice Incentive Payment when cost share is made.

Offered acreage must lie within counties included in the designated SAFE area (MN Pheasant and Greater Prairie Chicken Range). Not all Minnesota counties are in the SAFE area. Interested producers should contact their local FSA office to determine if their county is in the designated area. To be eligible for enrollment, a participant must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior to submitting the offer.

Minnesota's SAFE was developed in conjunction with FSA, Minnesota, Pheasants Forever, Minnesota Prairie Chicken Society; in partnership with Natural Resources Conservation Service, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Ducks Unlimited, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy. Additional SAFE information is available at county FSA offices.

From the National Potato Council ~ Senators Urge Farm Bill Include WIC Fix - Last week eleven Senators (Murray, Cantwell, G. Smith, Wyden, Craig, Crapo, Salazar, Levin, Casey, Snowe, Collins) wrote the Chairman and the Ranking Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees requesting that the Farm Bill conferees mandate changes to the current WIC regulations to allow the expansion of the program to include all fruits and vegetables including white potatoes. The letter questioned the determination by USDA to exclude white potatoes based on an Institute of Medicine (IOM) study commissioned by the agency. The IOM report cited the lack of vitamin E, fiber and potassium in children’s diets as a reason for adding fruits and vegetables. The Senators indicated in their letter that the decision to exclude potatoes which are high in these key components is inconsistent with the findings of the IOM report. The letter requested the conference committee to include language in the Farm Bill that will ensure that all fresh fruits and vegetables will be included in the new WIC package. The state potato organizations did an excellent job encouraging their Senators to sign the letter. NPC will continue to leverage this support to obtain a fix to this problem within the Farm Bill.

 Some in House and Senate Try to Give Life to CWA Amendments - Several members of the House and Senate are making efforts to modify the Clean Water Act (CWA) in ways that would dramatically expand that statue’s authority to regulate water on farms in the United States. The recent efforts to hold hearings and markups for H.R. 2421 and S. 1870 is prompting calls to action by farm and other groups alarmed by the possible impact of both bills. Both bills would delete the term “navigable waters” from the CWA. According to most experts that deletion would make all waters of the United States subject to CWA regulation. Hearings on these bills are likely in mid April in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Actual mark-ups of the bills are possible after the hearings. NPC is working with other agricultural groups and with key members of Congress to oppose this legislation.

 Farm Bill Update - After months of deadlock, movement to complete the 2007 Farm Bill is beginning in earnest.  The Senate named its conferees shortly after passing its version of the bill in December.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had resisted naming conferees until a plan acceptable to both chambers was close to being agreed to. House leaders have been under growing pressure to break the impasse.  On April 10, House conferees were named and the Chair of the Conference Committee, Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA), held a public meeting attended by a majority of the conferees that highlighted his commitment to complete a bill in the near future.  Speaker Pelosi agreed to convene the Conference Committee after an agreement was reached in the House on a new bipartisan deal that sets a spending level for the bill and identifies the offsets to pay for it.  Under the agreement, new spending on agriculture programs would be limited to $6 billion above the $280 billion budgetary baseline for the bill (H.R. 2419).  The House voted 400-11 on Wednesday, April 9, to instruct conferees to oppose higher taxes to fund new Farm Bill spending. At the meeting of the conferees, Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), the House Agriculture Committee’s ranking Republican, said the additional $6 billion of over baseline spending would not be offset by new taxes.  Tax writers in both chambers also have their own ideas about how to spend the extra funds, with House Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) seeking more money for nutrition programs and Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) backing a permanent disaster relief fund and tax credits for alternative energy.  Congress previously extended the existing Farm Bill until April 18 to allow more time to complete the bill. If the conferees fail to complete their work in time to complete the bill by April 18 additional short term extensions may be necessary.  President Bush has said he will seek a one-year extension of the 2002 farm law (PL 107-171) if lawmakers cannot negotiate a final bill by the April 18 deadline. In total, it is likely that if lawmakers are continuing to make progress as the April 18 date approaches that additional extensions will be approved and signed by the White House.

The Democratic Agriculture Committee Members selected to serve on the Conference Committee are: Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota, Congressman Tim Holden of Pennsylvania, Congressman Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, Congressman Bob Etheridge of North Carolina, Congressman Leonard Boswell of Iowa, Congressman Joe Baca of California, Congressman Dennis Cardoza of California, and Congressman David Scott of Georgia.

The Republican Agriculture Committee Members of Congress selected to serve on the Conference Committee are: Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, Congressman Frank Lucas of Oklahoma, Congressman Jerry Moran of Kansas, Congressman Robin Hayes of North Carolina, Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado, and Congressman Randy Neugebauer of Texas.

Clean Water Act is Topic of Senate Committee Hearing - Meghan Kolassa, Director of Government Affairs for the National Potato Council, attended the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee hearing on S. 1870 The Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007, on April 9, 2008.  In the Senate EPW Committee support for the bill seems split along party lines. The bill would expand federal jurisdiction over water in the United States by removing the term “navigable water” from the definition that determines which U.S. waters are regulated by the act.  Proponents claim the bill would restore the Clean Water Act authority to its status prior to the Supreme Court ruling on the Rapanos case which defined where the Federal government can apply the Clean Water Act, specifically by determining whether a wetland or tributary is a “water of the United States.”

A hearing on a similar bill is planned for April 16thn the House Transportation Committee. NPC strongly opposes both bills and is working with Congressional supporters to keep the bills in committee. 

 Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Endangered Species Status of Polar Bear - On April 2nd, the Senate Environmental and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a hearing on the status of the proposed listing of the polar bear as a threatened species.  This is the second hearing in three months on the proposed polar bear listing, and was called because the Department of the Interior missed its deadline for making the listing decision.  Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) stated that the Department of Interior was in direct violation of the law by delaying listing the decision.  It was pointed out in the hearing that previous Administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have missed deadlines associated with Endangered Species Act (ESA) decisions.  In addition, the Marine Mammal Protection Act already provides protection for the polar bear and that an ESA listing would only add an additional layer of regulation for the protection of a species that is currently thriving at healthy population levels.

Additional information on the hearing including witness testimony can be found on the EPW website at:

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=ec91e3c0-802a-23ad-4c06-c3aeca80710f

 From the US Potato Board ~ Connors Selected To Lead 2008-2009 United States Potato Board - DENVER— (April 1, 2008) Bart Connors of Pasco, WA, was elected Chairman of the United States Potato Board (USPB) on March 14 at the organization’s Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. Connors, the general manager of Skone & Connors Produce, an agricultural operation involved with the production, packing and marketing of potatoes and onions is in the middle of his second term as a Board Member.

“It is a real honor to be elected as the USPB Chairman for 2008-09,” Connors said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve with so many capable industry members, from all of the growing regions across America. With my fellow USPB leaders, we are interested in developing programs that will be truly beneficial to each member of the US potato industry.”

From 1996-2002, Connors was an active committee member on both the Domestic and International Marketing Committees. During that tenure, he served two years on the Executive Committee as Chairman of the International Marketing Committee.

 United States Potato Board Elects New Leadership During 2008 Annual Meeting - DENVER— (March 31, 2008) The United States Potato Board (USPB) grower membership elected new leadership during its Annual Meeting held in Denver, CO, March 12-14. The following sections list the leadership for the coming year.

CHAIRMAN

Bart Connors (Pasco, WA)

DOMESTIC MARKETING

Co-Chairmen

Danny Johns (Elkton, FL)

Shane Webster (Rexburg, ID)

Committee Members

Carl Ball (Lewisville, ID)

Bryan Beck (Tionesta, PA)

Tom Campbell (Grafton, ND)

Jeff Gibson (Burley, ID)

Phil Hickman (Horntown, VA)

Rodney Lenz (Wray, CO)

Melanie Likes (Shelley, ID)

Michael Pink ( Pasco, WA)

Tim Stevenson (Wisconsin Dells,

WI)

Jeff Urbach ( Hermiston, OR)

Tim Young (Howard City, MI)

FINANCE

Chairman

Monty Smith (Blanca, CO)

Committee Members

Rob Davis (Connell, WA)

Brad Faldet ( Waupaca, WI)

IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN

Larry Alsum (Friesland, WI)

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

Co-Chairpersons

Cheryl Koompin (American Falls, ID)

Tom Qualey (Sherman, ME)

Committee Members

Lon Baley (Malin, OR)

Dale Beck (Twin Falls, ID)

Molly Connors (Richland, WA)

Sid Staunton (Tulelake, CA)

Ritchey Toevs (Aberdeen, ID)

Steven Whited (Bridgewater, ME)

INDUSTRY COMMUNICATIONS & POLICY

Co-Chairmen

Ron Lehr (Bakersfield, CA)

Todd Michael (Urbana, OH)

Committee Members

Kent Bitter (Shelley, ID)

Andy Diercks (Coloma, WI)

Ernie Ford (Center, CO)

Gary Mahany (Arkport, NY)

Don Zimmerman (Fort Collins, CO)

 In the world of public relations, patience is a virtue that can lead to results that change your expectations… - Last June, United States Potato Board (USPB) Vice President of Public Relations, Linda McCashion, sat down with writers of consumer publications to brief them on research news that supported the potato, including studies on weight management and satiety.  Fast forward nine months...we're excited to report that in the March 31st issue of Woman's World (circulation 1,542,395), writers included mashed potatoes in their cover story: 10 Surprising Delicious Foods that Melt Fat.

“Mashed potatoes are ultra-filling. Don’t pass up this comfort food when trying to slim down--it's key for curbing hunger!  When boiled, potatoes are the most filling food around--three times more filling than bread, according to an Australian study. Result:  Potatoes make you feel satisfied faster and longer, so you consume fewer calories later.”

For more information on satiety, or the “fullness factor” in laymen’s terms, see also http://www.nutritiondata.com/topics/fullness-factor.

WW Potatoes.pdf

S Seed Varieties Registered In Brazil - After two plus years of effort and numerous submissions of the applications, four US seed potato varieties were finally accepted into Brazil's National Registry of Cultivars. The four new registrations are for Cal White, Pike, Chipeta and Cherry Red. The extremely bureaucratic process was finally overcome through the efforts of the USPB “Team Seed”, the USPB representative in the market and pressure from USDA officials stationed in Brazil. This is excellent news as the USPB gained market access to Brazil for US seed potatoes over 2 years ago, but sales were limited by the lack of registration of varieties grown in the US, except Atlantics.

The first sales of US chipping potatoes to Brazil occurred this year with 25 metric tons of Atlantics being exported from Maine. It is hoped that the combination of this successful sale, along with the registration of these new varieties, will allow for the US to finally take advantage of the good market in Brazil for seed potatoes.

Total MY08 US Seed Potato Exports Reach $1.7 Million By The 3rd Quarter - Seed potato exports, as tracked by the USPB, were 2,525 metric tons or 56,100 hundredweight during the January – March 2008 period. These exports were made to Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Uruguay. The DR is the largest market with exports of Megachip, Cal White and Granola totaling 975 metric tons. Uruguay was second with 850 metric tons of Chieftain, Red LaSoda and Dark Red Norland going to this market. Sales were made by eight organizations from throughout the US representing over 15 different growers.

Nominations For 2009 US Potato Board Members Now Open - All state potato organizations have now received the information and materials to begin the process of seeking and nominating interested growers for positions on the USPB Board for 2009. All growers would be seated on the Board at the 2009 Annual Meeting in Denver, March 11-13, 2009.

If you are interested in being considered by your state grower leadership to fill an open spot representing your state, please contact your State Manager, or for more information, contact Alexandra Grimm, USPB Industry Communications & Policy Assistant Manager, at alasonde@uspotatoes.com or 303-873-2311.

From the North Dakota Dept. of Ag ~ Project Safe Send Collection Sights Announced - Project Safe Send, North Dakota’s annual collection of unusable pesticides, will be conducted at 16 locations in July. "This is a good time to look through your barns, sheds, garages and storage areas for unusable pesticides," said Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson. "With 16 collection sites across the state, it should be easy for everyone to participate in Project Safe Send, and get rid of their unusable pesticides safely and at no charge.”

The collections are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (local time) at the following dates and sites. All collection sites are at North Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT) maintenance facilities, except the collection in West Fargo, which will be held at the county highway shop.

More information about Project Safe Send can be found on NDDA’s website, www.agdepartment.com (click on “Hot Topics”). Authorized by the North Dakota Legislature, Project Safe Send is funded through the fees paid by pesticide manufacturers to register their products in North Dakota. Since 1992, more than 2 million pounds of waste pesticides have been collected through Project Safe Send.

    Items for Potato Bytes? - If you would like to submit an item or announce an upcoming event in Potato Bytes, or if you have a story idea for the Valley Potato Grower magazine, please call (218) 773-3633 or send an e-mail to communication@nppga.org.