For 14 years, National Potato Council staffer Hollee Alexander has been the driving force behind Potato Expo — the biggest event of the year for the U.S. potato industry. She’s helped successfully steer the event through the pandemic, which required a lot of on-the-go flexibility and changes. For her longtime commitment to the industry, Alexander is Spudman’s 2022 Spudwoman of the Year.
Idaho Grower Shippers Association, founded in 1928 as the Idaho Transportation Association, is a collection of grower-shippers focused on the Idaho potato industry. Executive Director Shawn Boyle talks about how the current supply chain woes are affecting the industry, opportunities of the new rail facility in Pocatello, fresh potato trade with Mexico and more.
Greg Ebe, a seed grower in Washington state, and Don Sklarczyk, founder and former owner of Sklarczyk Seed Farm’s tissue culture lab, discuss the National Potato Council’s Vision 2026 project, which was created to examine the seed certification progress and look for ways to improve it and speed up testing options.
Longtime Potatoes USA Chief Marketing Officer John Toaspern discusses how the market for U.S. potatoes is evolving as the pandemic persists, how quickly things are getting back to normal and how supply chain struggles are affecting U.S. suppliers of potatoes and potato products.
Kam Quarles, head of the National Potato Council based in Washington, D.C., talks about the current state of the potato industry and supply chain, inflation, the infrastructure bill, trade with Mexico and what’s on tap for the approaching 2022 Potato Expo in Anaheim, Jan. 5-6.
Eric Schroeder of Schroeder Brothers Farm, a seed potato farm in northern Wisconsin, talks seed potato growing, a major fire in his family farm’s history, financial constraints of implementing the latest technology and the Aaron Rodgers drama.
Kam Quarles of the National Potato Council goes in-depth on the ongoing trade issues with Mexico, pushing Congress to go through with agriculture labor reform and other topics affecting U.S. potato growers.
Enander Seed Farm is an early-field year seed farm located in western North Dakota near the Montana border. The husband-and-wife team of Tom and Corrie Enander grow more than 100 varieties of seed potatoes, including some of the latest available to the industry. They join “The Potato Field” to talk about the dry spring, growing new varieties and what they enjoy about being potato farmers.
Daniel J. Corey Farms started as a commercial potato farm in the 1980s, but rather quickly moved into early-generation seed. Today, the farm is a multi-faceted operation, which includes Seed Pro and Nu-Seed, that has locations in Maine and Florida. Second-generation grower Sara Corey Parker joins “The Potato Field” talk about the different growing conditions between Maine and Florida, as well as sharing thoughts on her new favorite yellow potato.
The Little Potato Company co-founder and CEO Angela Santiago joins “The Potato Field” to talk about her father’s idea to start a creamer potato-growing farm, breeding and growing little potatoes and how she approaches making her company a place where people want to work.