Potato News from Northern America

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the appointment of 11 members to Potatoes USA’s Board of Directors. The appointees include nine producer members and one public member, who will serve three-year terms that expire Feb. 28, 2028.

Agristo is investing up to USD 450 million to build its first U.S. production facility in Grand Forks, North Dakota, driven by increasing demand for frozen potato products in North America.

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s updates to the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) initiative, which include an additional USD 650 million investment.

With Intralox LugDrive™ Series 8140 belting, food industry manufacturers can now purchase high-quality, hygienic lug-driven belts supported by Intralox’s expertise and guarantees. 

Tummers Food Processing Solutions, a global leader in potato processing technology, is headquartered in Hoogerheide, The Netherlands. Tummers provides cutting-edge solutions to the potato processing industry worldwide, including potato flake lines, French fry lines, and Freshpack lines.

The World Potato Congress has presented the upcoming webinar: Implementation of an Early Warning System for Sustainable Preventative Management of Potato Late Blight.

JBT Marel Corporation (NYSE and Nasdaq Iceland: JBTM) has completed the settlement of its voluntary takeover offer to acquire all validly tendered shares of Marel hf.

Rabobank is excited to kick off the New Year by participating in the Potato Expo 2025 in Orlando, Florida. Renowned potato market experts, Stephen Nicholson, Global Sector Strategist – Grains & Oilseeds, and David Magaña, Senior Analyst – Horticulture, will be available at the Rabo AgriFinance booth (#712) to engage with attendees and discuss critical trends and opportunities in the agricultural sector.

Every potato grower, farmer, and packer dreams of perfect growing conditions each season. Yet, Mother Nature has her own plans.

In a letter issued to the leaders of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Agriculture Committees, the Co-Chairs of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) expressed their disappointment that specialty crop production – which represents nearly half the farm gate value of American agriculture – is left out of the final year-end economic assistance package negotiated by Congressional leaders.

EUROPLANT America is excited to announce that in conjunction with the reorganization of EUROPLANT Europe to incorporate their breeding and farming structure under the EUROPLANT brand, Potato Seed Solutions is now EUROPLANT America.

The Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF) is excited to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2025 'Leadership in the Field: From Battlefield to Potato Field' program, held June 9-12, 2025, at the Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pa.

Madeleine Smith has joined North Dakota State University as an Extension pesticide specialist. Joining Oct. 2, Smith has been working on the NDSU campus in Fargo, North Dakota.

Mel Davenport, CEO of Potandon Produce, has retired after over 30 years and was succeeded by former Fresh Direct CEO David Lawrence on December 20th.

Mooij Agro, a global leader in crop storage solutions has announced its participation at the Potato Expo 2025 in the United States, where, in collaboration with PGS Equipment Ltd., it will showcase the Croptimiz-r MAX, a next-generation controller

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LW) has announced its results for the second quarter of fiscal 2025 and updated its full year financial targets for fiscal 2025. 

Urschel Laboratories, Inc., a global leader in food cutting technology, is excited to introduce the CCLL (Chip Cutter Large Lattice) Slicer, an advanced and high-performance solution for producing perfect lattice chips and thick potato waffle fries.

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has announced the appointment of Michael J. Smith, current Chief Operating Officer of Lamb Weston, as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the company’s Board of Directors, effective January 3, 2025.