On Nov. 12, the Idaho Potato Commission hosted its annual Big Idaho Potato Harvest Meeting, open to everyone in the Idaho potato industry. NPC CEO Kam Quarles provided an update on the federal policy victories and activities undertaken by the National Potato Council and its state potato organization partners in 2020, and set the stage for an active 2021.
Kam Quarles began by saying that though 2020 isn’t over yet, looking back on it is almost like viewing two entirely separate worlds – “one is pre-Covid. and the other is the world that we’ve been dealing with since the shutdown started.”
He said pre-Covid the potato industry generally was having a strong year. NPC was extremely proud to follow the largest Potato Expo ever with a highly successful Washington Fly-In, outstanding 2020 Leadership Program, and strong kickoff to the Potato LEAF Foundation.
“Then March happened and the shutdowns and as the weeks went on a predictable cascade of events that threatened the livelihoods of farmers in Idaho and across the country…”
Kam said that “though we aren’t out of the crisis yet, I think that the challenges COVID forced upon us and our industry’s response provides some optimism looking forward. In short, we aren’t helpless to this crisis. The clear steps we took put us on a path to relief…”
Watch the brief video of Kam Quarles’ presentation below, or watch it directly on YouTube here, or on the NPC website here.
Source: National Potato Council
