Potato News from Washington DC

Gregg Halverson’s career in the potato industry started at a young age, grading potatoes with his grandfather. Family has continued to be a major theme of his career as he worked with his father and now works with his children as president and board chairman of Grand Forks, N.D.-based Black Gold Farms.

The National Potato Council (NPC) installed its 2025 roster of Executive Committee leaders this week at the organization’s annual Washington Summit. During the Annual Meeting of the Voting Delegates, Ted Tschirky of Pasco, Wash., was elected to serve as the Council’s President for the next 12 months. 

National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles issued the following statement congratulating Brooke Rollins, who was confirmed today by the full Senate to serve as Secretary of the USA Department of Agriculture

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.

Scientists have discovered that calcium plays a significant role in enhancing the resistance of potato plants to bacterial wilt. This disease causes worldwide losses of potatoes costing USD 19 billion per year.

On Tuesday, April 14, five finalists will compete in the third biennial “SNAC Tank,” a pitch competition for emerging snack brands at SNX 2024 in Dallas, Texas.

The National Potato Council (NPC) installed its 2024 roster of Executive Committee members this week at the organization’s annual Washington Summit.

The Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF) is pleased to announce the 2024 class of the potato industry’s Leadership Institute.

The NPC 2023 Annual Potato Yearbook highlighting progress on NPC’s national legislative, regulatory, and marketing priorities. The Yearbook also features updated US and world potato production and consumption stats, grower and industry contact information, position statements, and program overviews.

The National Potato Council (NPC) installed its 2023 roster of Executive Committee members at the organization’s annual Washington Summit.

In only the third time in its 74-year history, the National Potato Council released a new logo that better reflects its public policy focus and roots in Washington, D.C.

The Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF) is pleased to announce the 2023 class of the Potato Industry Leadership Institute (PILI).

The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance has led researchers to search for new compounds everywhere. This week in mBio, a multinational team of researchers in Europe report the discovery of a new antifungal antibiotic named solanimycin.

The National Potato Council (NPC) welcomed new Program Coordinator Madeleine Poulin to assist the council as it promotes the interests of U.S. potato growers, their families, and the rural communities they support.

A new study recently published in Frontiers in Nutrition has challenged the tendency in nutrition research to separate starchy vegetables from their non-starchy counterparts

The National Potato Council released the following statement in response to a joint announcement by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Mexico Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Víctor Villalobos 

The National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2022 Washington Summit, Jared Balcom of Pasco, Washington, was elected to serve as NPC’s 2022 President and head the grower-led organization’s Executive Committee.

The National Potato Council today welcomed Ethan Keller to serve as the organization’s Program Coordinator. The recent Ohio State University graduate will support the execution and implementation of NPC’s programs to engage and inform its membership.