News on The Potato Supply Chain from the United States

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.

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.

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

Did you know that behind every delicious, crunchy, perfectly sized potato chip are years of research, development, experimentation and analysis by some of the brightest minds in the industry?

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are working on a new research project to fight plant diseases transmitted by psyllid insects — particularly the zebra chip disease, which has impacted potato production for decades.

A team from the University of Illinois has engineered potato to be more resilient to global warming, showing 30% increases in tuber mass under heatwave conditions.

Agronomist, plant breeder, farmer. writer, philanthropist, mentor, potato ambassador, leader, Dr. Charles Higgins has been doing all those things for the better part of the past 50 years.

The J.R. Simplot Company has named G.Rey Reinhardt as President of its AgriBusiness Group. Reinhardt will take over for Doug Stone who announced his retirement earlier this year.

Get ready as Potato Expo is all set to bring the heat this year! With over 190 exhibitors lined up, you’ll discover the latest products and services to supercharge your operations.

The Value of All Potatoes Sold in 2023 in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington was USD 2.63 Billion

Countries must start curbing emissions immediately, according to the UN Emissions Gap Report 2024.

RPE, a trusted leader in the fresh produce industry has announced the launch of its new comprehensive sweet potato program, tailored to meet growing market demands while maximizing efficiency for retail partners. 

The Potato Sustainability Alliance (PSA) has welcomed seven new members to its organization since the first quarter of 2024. RPE, LLC becomes the third member of the Fresh Marketer Sector to join PSA, and will be offering access to PSAs annual on-farm self-assessment.