Meet the growers leading the Potatoes USA committees

Potatoes USA wants the industry to get to know its executive committee. The Denver-based national marketing and promotion board’s five Potatoes USA board member committees are overseen and led by nine members of the industry. Together, with the chair and past chair, these leaders — elected March 9 at the organization’s annual meeting in Denver — comprise the Potatoes USA executive committee.

Research committee

Jennifer Gogan and Mike Larsen are Potatoes USA research committee co-chairs.

Gogan, a fourth-generation farmer, is the assistant manager and part owner of Miller Farms LLC, a seed potato farm in Littleton, Maine. The farm primarily grows for Frito-Lay and cultivates Lamoka, Snowden, Atlantic, dark red Norland, Caribou Russet and Russet Burbank seed potatoes. Gogan is also the assistant manager at Miller Farms LLC’s sister company, Aroostook Produce Distributors Inc., which works with local farmers to grow and deliver chip stock to chip plants.

For USA Potatoes, Gogan will lead a program that studies varieties and disease management, using science to show potatoes are a healthy vegetable.

As the general manager of Mart Potato, Larsen helps its growers to contract, grow and deliver potatoes. He also manages new varieties and develops future markets. Additionally, as chief marketing officer of The Mart Group, Larsen helps develop new markets and sell products.

In his role as co-chair, Larsen will focus on climate-smart initiatives and what they can do for the industry.

This is Gogan’s third year on the board and her second year on the executive committee. Larsen is serving his fifth year on the board and his first year on the leadership team after serving four years as a member of the international marketing and research committees.

Finance and policy committee

Jeff Jennings, president of John E. Ferebee Farming in Camden, N.C. — a producer of white, red and yellow potatoes — is starting his fifth year on the board and will serve his third year as chair of the finance and policy committee.

“As chair of the committee, I am focused on making sure the financials run smoothly and look forward to what this next year holds,” Jennings said in a release.

The finance and policy committee is responsible for oversight of Potatoes USA financial information and making recommendations to the executive committee on finance- and policy-related matters, including the annual budget. The committee also oversees the audit process.

Domestic marketing committee

Steve Elfering and Travis Meacham of Moses are domestic marketing committee co-chairs.

The domestic marketing committee oversees the Potatoes USA consumer, nutrition, retail, ingredient and foodservice marketing programs. The committee says it is focused on encouraging more people to eat more potatoes in more ways, and positioning potatoes as a performance food. The marketing programs are designed to inspire potato innovation across all channels, cultivate strategic partnerships and advocate for scientific research to demonstrate potatoes’ role in enhancing overall physical and mental performance.

Elfering is CEO of the 1,4GROUP Inc. in Meridian, Idaho. The company grows Burbank potatoes for research and the fresh potato market. Before 1,4GROUP, Elfering worked in the fresh potato sector for 28 years as a grower and marketer. As co-chair, Elfering looks forward to continuing the health and nutrition messaging around potatoes.

Meacham, operational manager at Friehe Farms, Moses Lake, Wash., has been in the potato and agriculture industry for 25 years. He looks forward to helping the administrative committee and the industry implement the marketing materials and tools that will help increase demand for potatoes, according to a release.

This is Elfering’s 11th year on the board and fourth year as a domestic marketing committee co-chair. Meacham is serving his sixth year on the board and his first year on the executive committee. Previously, he served as an administrative member of the domestic marketing, international marketing, finance and policy, and industry outreach committees.   

International marketing committee

Jared Smith and Mike Carter are international marketing committee co-chairs.

Smith is a third-generation farmer and has worked in the industry for 17 years. He is part-owner of Three S Ranch Inc., in Blanca, Colo., which produces russet, red and yellow potatoes. As co-chair, Smith is excited to help expand international market opportunities and keep fresh potato access open throughout Mexico.

Carter has been in the potato industry for the past 24 years and is the CEO and co-owner of Wisconsin-based Bushmans’ Inc., a company focused on the fresh potato market. He looks forward to further developing the  international marketing program. 

The international marketing committee is focused on increasing U.S. potato exports across all product types, expanding access for U.S. potatoes across the globe, and for ensuring international consumers and trade members know U.S. potatoes for their quality and nutritional benefits, says USA Potatoes. The committee oversees foodservice, retail, ingredient, consumer, market access and seed potato export marketing programs in more than 25 international markets.

Smith is serving his fifth year on the board and his third year on the leadership team. Previously, he served as co-chair of the research committee. Smith has also served two years as a member of the domestic marketing and research committees. This is Carter’s third year back on the board, after previously serving a six-year term from 2009-2015. During that time, he was co-chair of the domestic marketing committee for three years. The past two years he served as co-chair of the industry outreach committee.

Industry outreach committee

Leah Halverson and Shelley Olsen are co-chairs of the industry outreach committee.

Halverson has been in the potato industry for over 20 years and is director of marketing at Black Gold Farms in Grand Forks, N.D. Black Gold Farms, which primarily grows chipping potatoes, has nine additional farms throughout the U.S. As co-chair, Halverson looks forward to increasing industry members’ engagement and excitement to promote potatoes.

Olsen works under two family-owned companies — LJ Olsen and Two O’s Inc. — where three generations work together. Their focus is on growing potatoes for frozen processing. Olsen looks forward to sharing the board’s “exciting and forward-thinking programs and promoting the positive messages with other potato growers.”

The industry outreach committee oversees industry communications. The committee is focused on expanding the awareness of Potatoes USA’s marketing and research programs, establishing Potatoes USA as the go-to resource for the industry, and, most importantly, increasing engagement and involvement by the industry in Potatoes USA promotional programs and activities, said the organization.

Halverson is starting her second three-year term on the board and her second year on the executive committee. She was previously an administrative member of the industry outreach committee. This is Olsen’s fifth year serving on the board and her second year on the executive committee. Previously, she was a co-chair for the domestic marketing committee, of which she was also an administrative member for three years.