- RJ Andrus of Idaho Elected National Potato Council President
- A Week of Advocacy at NPC’s 2023 Washington Summit
- NPC Releases Groundbreaking Report on U.S. Potato Industry’s Contribution to America’s Economy
- New Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) Methodology Questioned
- NPC 2023 Grower Supporter Campaign Underway. Sign up today!
| |
|
RJ Andrus of Idaho Elected National Potato Council President
The National Potato Council (NPC) installed its 2023 roster of Executive Committee members this week at the organization’s annual Washington Summit. During the Annual Meeting of the Voting Delegates, RJ Andrus of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was elected to serve as the Council’s President for the next 12 months.
Andrus is a third-generation farmer and an owner of TBR Farms located in Hamer, Idaho. He has served on the Executive Committee since 2019, in roles including Vice President of Grower Outreach and Industry Research, and, most recently, as Vice President of Legislative Affairs. A 2006 graduate of the Potato Industry Leadership Institute, now run by the Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF), Andrus serves as Vice-Chairman of the Potato LEAF Board.
The full Executive Committee roster includes:
- RJ Andrus, Idaho Falls, Idaho – President
- Bob Mattive, Monte Vista, Colorado – First Vice President and Vice President, Environmental Affairs
- Dean Gibson, Paul, Idaho – Vice President, Legislative Affairs
- TJ Hall, Hoople, North Dakota – Vice President, Grower Outreach and Industry Research
- Ben Sklarczyk, Johannesburg, Michigan – Vice President, Finance
- Ted Tschirky, Pasco, Washington – Vice President, Trade Affairs
The Council’s 2022 President, Jared Balcom of Pasco, Washington, will continue to serve on the Executive Committee as the Immediate Past President.
As a grower-led organization, NPC is managed by an Executive Committee and Board of Directors, which oversees its operations and provides guidance on its policy activities. Board members are appointed by the Executive Committee from recommendations submitted by state potato grower organizations and hold office for one calendar year. The complete list of Executive Committee and Board of Directors may be found here.
| |
From left to right: Ben Sklarczyk, Ted Tschirky, Jared Balcom, RJ Andrus, Dean Gibson, Bob Mattive, TJ Hall | |
|
A Week of Advocacy at NPC’s 2023 Washington Summit
This week, U.S. potato growers and allied partners from across the country united as an industry to fulfill NPC’s mission of “Standing Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill.” The 2023 Washington Summit, Feb. 27-March 3, provided a forum for potato industry members to discuss, define, and advocate for the policy priorities impacting their businesses and protecting their ability to farm.
The first day kicked off with NPC’s first-ever virtual media roundtable during which CEO Kam Quarles, Immediate Past President Jared Balcom, and Incoming President RJ Andrus shared the news of the Council’s groundbreaking report “Measuring the Economic Impact of the U.S. Potato Industry.” A dozen industry news editors and reporters were provided with highlights of the comprehensive analysis of the potato industry’s $100.9 billion economic contribution to the U.S. economy.
That evening at the meeting of Voting Delegates, 2022 President Jared Balcom passed the gavel to incoming President RJ Andrus. Balcom also presented the annual President’s Awards to: Washington state grower and former NPC President Ed Schneider; Chris Voigt and Matt Harris of the Washington State Potato Commission; and Balcom’s wife Kellee Balcom. Matt Lantz, Vice President for Global Access for Bryant Christie Inc., received the Golden Potato Award for his decades long effort to open foreign markets for U.S. potatoes. The Packer’s Amy Sowder presented Maine potato grower and former NPC President Dominic LaJoie with its 2023 Potato Person of the Year Award, which honors a potato industry member who has shown extraordinary leadership and commitment to the industry.
Throughout the next day, committee members met to report on and discuss the status of issues facing our industry, including Finance Committee led by Ben Sklarczyk; Legislative Affairs Committee led by Dean Gibson; Environmental Affairs Committee led by Bob Mattive; Grower Outreach and Industry Research Committee led by TJ Hall; and Trade Affairs Committee led by Ted Tschirky.
During lunch, attendees were briefed by Bill Knudson, Product Marketing Economist at Michigan State University Product Center, who presented the report his team conducted on behalf of NPC to measure the $100.9 billion economic impact of the potato industry on the U.S. economy.
On Wednesday morning, business began earlier than expected with the arrival of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack who praised potato growers for their significant contribution in providing America with nutritious, delicious potatoes, while supporting rural communities and the entire U.S. economy. Prior to his remarks, Immediate Past President Jared Balcom presented the Secretary with a Golden Potato Award to thank him for his leadership over two Administrations in helping open the full Mexican market to fresh U.S. potatoes - a victory two decades in the making.
| |
|
The morning sessions also included a live Eye on Potatoes Podcast recording with host Lane Nordlund, Washington State Potato Commission Executive Director Chris Voigt, and Phil Gusmano, Vice President of Better Made Snack Foods in Detroit, Michigan, on the topic of communicating the potato industry’s message to urban Members of Congress. Additional sessions featured Randy Russell, President of the Russell Group, and NPC CEO Kam Quarles on the topic of Potato Leadership in the 2023 Farm Bill Process; and Navigating the Complex World of Nutrition Regulation with Senate Agriculture Committee senior professional staff member Katherine Thomas.
During the keynote lunch, sponsored by Syngenta, Charlie Cook, renowned political analyst and founder of the Cook Political Report, provided attendees with his unique analysis of the issues, trends, and events that are shaping today’s political environment with special emphasis on past and upcoming presidential elections.
On Wednesday afternoon at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Members of Congress joined the group to address their priorities and hear from attendees on their policy concerns. Speakers included Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.); Parish Braden, Republican Staff Director of the House Agriculture Committee; Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; and Senator Angus King (I-Maine).
On Thursday and Friday, attendees took to Capitol Hill to meet with dozens of Members and staff to advocate for the industry’s policy priorities. The photo album of the week can be found here.
| |
|
NPC Releases Groundbreaking Report on U.S. Potato Industry’s Contribution to America’s Economy
On Tuesday, NPC announced the release of “Measuring the Economic Significance of the U.S. Potato Industry,” a comprehensive analysis on the domestic economic impact of potatoes. The report, authored by economists from Michigan State University, marked a groundbreaking assessment on the national economic contribution of America’s favorite vegetable. Highlights of the report can be found at nationalpotatocouncil.org/spudnation.
According to the report, the U.S. potato sector is a driving force of America’s economic prosperity, with an estimated contribution of $100.9 billion in 2021.
This contribution stems from the following direct and indirect economic activity:
- $10.8 billion in agriculture production and agribusiness services;
- $49.1 billion in processing, wholesaling, and retail;
- And, $41 billion in food service industries and household consumption.
Additionally, the U.S. potato sector is responsible for generating an estimated 714,000 domestic jobs and providing wages of $34.1 billion annually to those employed along its supply chain. An impressive 0.4% of the entire U.S. workforce relies on the potato industry for their livelihoods, contributing $53 million towards annual GDP growth.
Notably farm production itself makes up approximately 10 percent ($10.8 billion) of the total economic contribution of the potato supply chain, underscoring the significance of largely family-owned potato farms as rural job creators and wealth generators throughout the U.S. economy.
| |
|
“Not only are potatoes an essential and healthy component in our diet, we can say unequivocally that they are vital to the American economy,” said RJ Andrus, President of the National Potato Council. “Potatoes are an essential component to our prosperity as a nation, built and sustained by America’s potato growers, who put people to work in every city and town across our great country. NPC’s report cements the fact that potatoes are America’s favorite vegetable with value.”
This report demonstrates that potatoes not only provide high-quality nutrients but are a driver of America’s economic prosperity, including direct economic activity (growing, processing, and retail) and the creation of jobs throughout the country.
The U.S. potato supply chain entails a wide spectrum of activity, from agricultural production, through wholesaling and processing and distribution ending with consumer purchases of final products through retail channels or through food service providers.
The U.S. is the world’s fifth largest producer of potatoes. A critical export product, approximately 20 percent of all potatoes grown or processed in the United States are exported to Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and other trading partners. In 2021 alone, the value of all potato-related exports (fresh, processed, and dehydrated) topped $1.88 billion in sales.
| |
|
Potato LEAF Trains Next Generation of Industry Leaders
The Potato Industry Leadership Institute Class of 2023 brought together 23 outstanding potato growers and industry representatives for nine days of training and professional development. The annual program, held this year from Feb. 22- March 2, is a program of the Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF).
This year's class kicked off in Niagara Falls, New York, where participants received an overview of the national organizations of the potato industry. Additional highlights included tours of the potato growing and processing operations in New York and Pennsylvania, a stop at Phillips Mushroom Farm, and a leadership training session at the Gettysburg Battlefield.
After arriving in Washington, D.C, participants heard from public policy and communication experts speaking at the 2023 NPC Washington Summit. While in D.C., they were immersed in the legislative and regulatory priorities of the U.S. potato industry and practiced how to effectively deliver key messages to Congress. The program finished with a day of visits to Member offices on Capitol Hill, where participants joined their state grower delegations to meet and educate Congress on the industry’s priorities.
At the conclusion of the training, Pennsylvania potato grower Bryan Bender (pictured below) was elected by his peers to serve as the Grower Leader for next year’s class.
| |
|
New Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) Methodology Questioned
This week, as a part of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC), the National Potato Council raised deep concern over the Department of Labor’s publication of the new methodology to calculate the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for the H-2A program.
The new calculation dramatically increases costs for producers utilizing the program and places an undue burden on family farms which are already facing a multitude of challenges, including the impact of high input costs, foreign competition, market volatility, and adverse weather. It will make it difficult for farmers to remain competitive and will serve only to further increase costs for domestically produced agricultural products.
“The AWC urges Congress to act without delay on ag workforce reform legislation. Farmers are committed to paying their employees a fair wage,” wrote AWC in a statement. “The way the wage has and continues to be set is flawed and needs to be revised through provisions to reform the H-2A guest worker program, including the wage calculation.”
The Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC) unites over 70 organizations representing the diverse needs of agricultural employers across the country. AWC serves as the unified voice of agriculture in the effort to ensure that America’s farmers, ranchers and growers have access to a stable and secure workforce.
To learn more about AWC, visit agworkforcecoalition.org.
| |
|
NPC 2023 Grower Supporter Campaign Underway. Sign up today!
NPC’s annual Grower Supporter campaign provides resources to promote and protect the potato industry’s interest in Washington, D.C. Click here to register your support for NPC and join the 2023 Grower Supporter campaign today to help amplify the potato industry’s voice in Washington, D.C. The campaign will run through April 14, sign up today!
| | | | |
