Red River Valley Potatoes Exhibit in New Orleans at PMA Fresh Summit

The Red River Valley Potatoes was among the 1,000 companies exhibiting at the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit in New Orleans on October 19th and 20th.

18,113 people attended the show including 3,000 plus wholesale and retail buyers. The attendance just missed setting a record for a PMA eastern U.S. show. That record is 18,284, established in Orlando in 2010. Typically shows held on the West Coast draw a couple thousand more.

The Red River Valley had a 20 foot wide booth right on the center aisle, sometimes referred to as "Main Street"at trade shows. Booth locations are determined by seniority, and Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPPGA) has promoted Red River Valley Potatoes at the show for 34 years earning it its prime location.

Ted Kreis and Diane Peycke from NPPGA set up the booth and sampled steamed baby red potatoes seasoned with butter, garlic and dill which drew positive comments from nearly all of the 400 people that tried them.

Fresh shippers attending at the show from the Valley were Jim Lequire from Associated Potato Growers, Steve Tweten and Mike Rerick from NoKota Packers, Lawrence Kimble from Ben Holmes Potato (sales agent for Northern Valley Growers and Spokely Farms), Tom Campbell and Jim Corneille from Campbell Farms, and Gregg Halverson, Leah Brakke, John Halverson, Keith Groven, David Bain, Damon Johnson and Glen Reynolds from Black Gold Farms.

Following the show, exhibitors donated more than 373,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables to New Orleans food banks. 250 food bank volunteers worked throughout the night on October 20th collecting the food for distribution to the region's needy via the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana. Among the donations were about 300 pounds of red and yellow potatoes from the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota.

Source: NPPGA