Potatoes
There’s an urgent need to set the record straight on the nutritional value of white tubers. This and other hot topics were part of Potatoes USA’s recent annual meeting in Denver, Colo.
Denver-based Potatoes USA, the marketing and promotion board for the potato industry, elected new leadership during its annual meeting on March 9.
Officials with the Eagle, Idaho-based Idaho Potato Commission participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Seed Potato Germplasm Laboratory.
U.S. and Mexican agriculture officials have agreed that U.S. fresh potato access will expand in Mexico by May 15.
Bradford, Ontario-based Gwillimdale Farms has announced the debut of a brand new and fully automated potato grading system that has created room for a new line of No. 2 potatoes called Conscious Consumption.
It’s been said that potatoes and onions are the nuts and bolts of the produce department. Looking at prices at Walmart, these two core commodities have seen price spikes from mid-January to mid-April.
North Carolina’s potato growers will deliver big volume of fresh and chipping potatoes this summer for a relatively short marketing period.
Denver-based Potatoes USA has announced that nominations are now open for new board members for the 2023-2026 term.
Raleigh, N.C.-based L&M Companies has an ample supply of Carolina produce commodities in the months ahead, company leaders said.
The National Potato Council is welcoming the news that the first shipments of U.S. fresh potatoes crossed into Mexico beyond the previous 26-kilometer border restriction on May 11.
The Masser Family of Companies announced the launch of a new website for Hegins, Pa.-based partner Keystone Potato Products, LLC.
Wada Farms Marketing Group is growing its specialty potato program, including red potatoes, yellow potatoes and fingerling potatoes, says Kevin Stanger, president of the Idaho Falls, Idaho-based company.
NNZ Inc., along with Fresh Solutions Network/Basin Gold Cooperative, will debut the Amazables! microwaveable potato at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Foodservice Conference.
Friesland, Wis.-based Alsum Farms & Produce anticipates a very good quality crop of Wisconsin potatoes, says Christine Lindner, marketing manager for the company.
Marketers who handle potatoes and/or onions are encouraged to give their perspectives on their company’s respective market plans and outlook for The Packer’s Nov. 14 Potato and Onion Marketing Section.
Strong demand and higher pricing characterized the potato market in early November, and tight market conditions are expected to continue through the holidays.
Idaho potatoes are in tight supply this year, but that doesn’t mean an end to Idaho potato promotions, said Ross Johnson, vice president of retail and international for the Idaho Potato Commission.
From October 2021 through September 2022, the USDA reported that exports of U.S. fresh potatoes totaled $288.9 million, up 10% from the previous year.
U.S. potato groups are asking the USDA to develop new phytosanitary protocols to prevent the spread of potato wart from Prince Edward Island to U.S. growing areas.
The Prince Edward Island Potato Board presented Industry Recognition awards for lifelong contributions to the PEI potato industry to Gerald “Jeddy” MacFadyen, John Robinson and Kevin MacIsaac.
The new logo will roll out in December on the National Potato Council website, social media, collateral materials and NPC logo merchandise.
USDA estimates harvested acreage for 2022 at 902,200 acres. That’s down from 935,700 in 2021, which itself was a tight year.
Retailers saw a jump in sales of packaged produce when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted and shoppers tried to avoid picking up product that others may have touched. Now there’s another reason to buy packaged product.
The Newport Beach, Calif.-based company offers consumers creative ways to stretch their food dollar using potato peels.
Shipping-point prices for fresh-market vegetables surged 33% over the first 10 months of 2022, which a USDA report said was the largest year-over-year gain since 1995.
The contest offers produce managers the chance to win cash prizes for the merchandising and sales of the company’s top-selling Baby Golds in 24-ounce, 3-pound and bulk offerings, according to a news release.
FreshPak Inc. has installed a new Spectrim grader from Compac Sorting Equipment, said Jackson Hall, partner at Hoople-based Hall’s, which owns H&S FreshPak with O.C. Schulz & Sons Inc., Crystal, N.D.
The potato industry is set to gather for a star-studded event in Denver, where attendees can learn about the newest technology, methods and research during National Potato Council’s Potato Expo, Jan. 4-5.
Held at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colo., Jan. 4-5, the National Potato Council event was the largest of its kind outside of Las Vegas, NPC CEO Kam Quarles said.
It is again time to honor a well-deserving member of the potato growing community by nominating them for the Potato Person of the Year or Potato Person for All Seasons award.