State sweetpotato organizations share plans and initiatives
Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission
The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, Baton Rouge, will host the 62nd National Convention of the U.S. Sweet Potato Council in New Orleans from Jan. 21-24, 2024, said Rene Simon, commission director.
“It’s an opportunity for the industry to gather and share information,” he said.
A highlight will be a riverboat cruise and lunch with Louisiana seafood and Cajun and Creole cooking, he said.
Researchers will present some of the latest findings in the sweetpotato world, and Mike Strain, commissioner of forestry and agriculture for Louisiana, will be a speaker.
The USDA Agriculture Marketing Service will give a presentation on how USDA purchases sweetpotatoes and how suppliers can sell to USDA. Louisiana State University sweetpotato specialists also will present the latest on variety development and cultural practices.
To register, visit sweetpotatousa.org/convention.
Mississippi Sweet Potato Council
The Mississippi Sweet Potato Council, Vardaman, is trying to persuade the state’s residents to feature sweetpotatoes on their plates — their vehicle license plates, that is.
A design for special sweetpotato plates has been created, and the council is in the process of gathering the 375 signatures necessary to persuade the state to add it to its list of special tags, which already call attention to wildlife preservation, various universities and NASCAR, said Lorin Harvey, professor at Mississippi State University and scientific adviser to the council.
“It’s one of those very subtle marketing and awareness campaigns,” he said.
Harvey expected the goal to be reached by the end of the year.
“It absolutely will happen,” he said.
An application for the plates is available on the council’s website: mssweetpotato.org.
North Carolina SweetPotato Commission
The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission, Benson, has a full slate of activities in the works for the coming season, said CoCo Daughtry, communications specialist.
The commission is preparing for its annual Research Field Day hosted by North Carolina State University. Date is to be announced.
The North Carolina FarmHER lunch to fight breast cancer is set for Nov. 3. “Over the last three years, we have raised over $22,000 for the Pretty in Pink Foundation,” which provides uninsured and under-insured breast cancer patients in the state with financial assistance for medical treatment, Daughtry said.
The commission also plans to celebrate National Sweet Potato Month in February.
“If any of our retailers would like to step up and partner, we are certainly open to working with them,” she said.
