Potato Bytes

12.05.2023

News from Northland Potato Growers Association

Serving the potato industry in North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota.

Why Chocolate-Covered Potato Chips Are a Big Deal in North Dakota

By C.A. Pinkham, the Daily Meal

There's no shortage of classic regional American dishes. Some are well-known: The lobster roll, the Philly cheesesteak, and Buffalo wings have all attained huge popularity and notoriety across the country. Others are well-kept local secrets that seem primed to burst onto the national scene, such as the Maryland crab pretzel. But are you aware of the chocolate-covered potato chip from North Dakota?

When you think of delicious regional food, the Dakotas probably won't be the first place that comes to mind. Yet, that's exactly where one favorite comes from. Chocolate-covered potato chips may seem like a universal concept, but they were specifically created at one candy chain: Carol Widman's Candy Co., which was founded in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1885 but moved to North Dakota in 1949 and now has locations in Grand Forks and Fargo. In the decades since their creation, chocolate-covered potato chips have become one of the most important cultural artifacts of the Peace Garden State.

Better known as "chippers," it's generally accepted that chocolate-covered potato chips were created by Widman's sometime since its arrival in North Dakota in 1949; not only does Widman's make the claim, but very few dispute it. Chippers are sold at...

Read the complete article at: https://www.thedailymeal.com/1456572/north-dakota-chocolate-covered-potato-chips-origin/

Potatoes USA-Supported Research into Neonic Alternatives Receives USDA Funding

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) recently announced funding for a four-year, Potatoes USA-supported research project to develop and evaluate potential alternatives to neonicotinoids for pest management of potato crops.

Why it matters: Neonicotinoids (commonly called “neonics”) are a type of insecticide that has seen widespread usage in the U.S. for 25 years. Neonics have been a critical tool for potato growers given their ease of use and low application cost.

However, environmental concerns have shifted companies and consumer demand away from purchasing potatoes that use neonics. Critics have linked widespread neonic usage with rising resistance among pest populations, harm to pollinators and environmental contamination.

For example, major retailers like Walmart and Costco have encouraged fresh produce suppliers to phase out the use of neonics in recent years.

Goals: The long-term goal of the research project is to develop and adopt new pest management strategies in the U.S. potato industry that serve as an effective alternative to neonics. To accomplish this, the project—called “Enhancing integrated insect pest management strategies for U.S. potato production systems” and nicknamed “Potato IPM”—has four objectives:

Objective 1: Develop and evaluate non-neonic pest strategies in ware and seed potatoes.
Objective 2: Develop pest prediction and decision-making tools.
Objective 3: Evaluate the socioeconomic influences and impacts associated with transitioning from neonics to new pest management strategies.
Objective 4: Facilitate the adoption of new strategies among growers.

Potatoes USA’s support: Potatoes USA’s Potato Research Advisory Committee (PRAC) selected the Potato IPM project to submit to USDA’s SCRI. PRAC supported the Potato IPM submission with 51 letters of support from national organizations, regional and state organizations, processors, regulators, research entities and growers in 12 states.

Background: PRAC meets each year to discuss research proposals submitted to various funding sources, with SCRI being one of the most popular submission sources. Since 2016, PRAC’s efforts have helped six projects led by potato scientists win $38.8 million in funding for the industry.

FNS Grant Applications to Improve School Meals through Local, Regional Partnerships Now Open

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) announces new grant applications are now open. Applications are being accepted for the School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants, which is part of USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative.

These grants will transform the K-12 school food marketplace by increasing collaboration between school districts, food producers, suppliers, distributors, and/or community partners. Students can expect to see improvements in the quality of food on their plates, thanks to these new efforts.

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) encourages all eligible applicants to consider applying for one or both grant opportunities:

Supporting Community Agriculture and Local Education Systems (Project SCALES): Led by the Center for School and Community Partnerships at Boise State University, these projects will increase the procurement of locally sourced foods by developing innovative partnerships between schools and producers; growers; and processors. In addition, schools will be supported in the preparation of the foods and promoting them to students. Project SCALES was awarded $16.1 million and will provide two cohorts with sub-grants of up to $150,000 each (70 total). Two informational webinars on this grant opportunity will be held on Dec. 6, 2023 (English) and Dec. 13, 2023 (Spanish). Applications for the first cohort will close on Jan. 26, 2024. Applications for the second cohort will open in 2025.

Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS): Led by Chef Ann Foundation, these projects will support regional efforts to expand scratch-cooked meal programs, increase equity, foster a resilient supply chain, and create scalable and sustainable change for school districts across the country. Chef Ann Foundation’s PLANTS was awarded $7.8 million and will provide sub-grants of $500,000-$600,000 to each of eight awardees. These grants will increase opportunities for regional small- and mid-scale producers, aggregators, and processors to become part of the K-12 school food market. An informational webinar on this grant opportunity was held on Nov. 29, 2023. Applications close on Jan. 22, 2024.

Applications for sub-grants managed by two other organizations – Full Plates Full Potential and Illinois Public Health Institute – will open in early 2024. Collectively, the four organizations were awarded $50 million by USDA to administer these sub-grants.

Eligible organizations are encouraged to check the USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives website to learn more about the School Food Systems Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants. For updates, sign up for the bi-monthly newsletter at the bottom right of the USDA Team Nutrition website.

News from the National

Potato Council

Issued December 1, 2023

Recipe of the Week

Sesame Smashed Potatoes with Sweet Chili Chicken

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! Tender pieces of roasted chicken glazed in sweet chili sauce and served with sesame-lime smashed potatoes.

Dish: Main Dish

Potato Type: Fingerlings

Cuisine: American

Prep Method: Baked

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 35 min

Servings: 6

Click here for the complete recipe from Potatoes USA

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Potato Bytes TV & Movie Trivia

Last Week's Photo

Last week's trivia photo was from the 1993 Steven Spielberg movie Jurassic Park.

It was answered correctly by Jeff VanRay, Peggy Vanyo, Jody Ketterling, Victoria Stamper, Keith Bjorneby, Vicky Boyd, Bernie Mullen, Todd Forbush, Dan Monson, Butch Kraska, John Lundeen, Darcy Blazek, Craig Magnusson and Paul Dolan.