Nominations Open for Potato Industry Awards

Don’t miss out on the chance to recognize and honor a well-deserving member of the potato grower community by nominating them for the Potato Man of the Year or Potato Man for All Seasons.

These industry awards are sponsored by The Packer in conjunction with the National Potato Council (NPC). The recipients will be announced at the 2016 NPC Annual Meeting award banquet, Jan. 14, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Potato Man of the Year

The Potato Man of the Year recognizes an individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty during 2015 to further the potato industry. Previous award winners have devoted a significant amount of time promoting the virtues of potatoes to consumers and representing the industry on trade missions and in front of regulatory agencies. Past winners include Chris Voigt of the Washington State Potato Commission and Justin Dagen, former NPC president.

Potato Man for All Seasons

The Potato Man for All Seasons is a lifetime achievement award that recognizes individuals who over the course of their career in the potato industry have given generously their time and energy to improve the wellbeing of the potato industry.

Past recipients include Ben Kudwa, retired director of the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, and Gregg Halverson, president and CEO of Black Gold Farms, who has been a strong supporter of potato-related research and education. Dick Pavelski, owner of Heartland Farms Inc., Bancock, Wis., was named the 2014 Potato Man for All Seasons.

A nomination form can be downloaded by clicking here. You may use two additional sheets of paper to describe why your nominee is deserving.

The deadline to submit nominations is Dec. 1. Email nomination forms to Tom Karst, National Editor of The Packer at tkarst@thepacker.com.