Olympia Potato Day Event Educates and Celebrates the Washington State Potato

Potato growers from throughout Washington state visited the state’s capital this week as part of the annual Potato Day event held in Olympia, Washington.

Potato growers took the opportunity to meet with legislators and agency officials to discuss issues impacting the state’s potato industry.

Numerous meetings were held at multiple venues with some of the key topics dealing with the state’s minimum wage, tax preferences, transportation, water quality and energy issues.

Twenty-one representatives of the potato industry visited their legislators from potato growing areas and ag committee members. In addition meetings were held with Ecology Director, Maia Bellon; Director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Bud Hover; and the Deputy Secretary of Washington State Department of Transportation, Cam Gilmour.

Balanced nutrition was the theme for lunch as potato farmers served roughly 1,400 baked spuds at the annual potato bar held in the rotunda for lawmakers, agency personnel and the public on Tuesday. One of the most popular events on the capitol campus, the lunch set a record this year for speed as the majority of the crowd was served within 40 minutes.