US: Industry cooperation key to progress, potato growers told

The potato industry has had better luck recently in securing federal research dollars due to improved cooperation among its national and state organizations, three industry leaders said Jan. 17 during the Eastern Idaho Potato Conference. The speakers included National Potato Council Executive Vice President and CEO John Keeling; Pat Kole, the Idaho Potato Commission’s vice president of legal and government affairs; and Ryan Krabill, director of research with Potatoes USA. Keeling said individual states previously approached lawmakers and submitted research requests based on their own interests. Now, leaders nationwide are reaping the rewards of focusing on what’s best for the industry as a whole, he said. In recent years, Kole said the potato commissions of Idaho, Washington and Oregon have pooled $1.5 million annually to conduct coordinated research through the new Northwest Potato Research Consortium. More