Potato Bytes
Potato News
Friday, August 15, 2008
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Northern Plains Potato Growers Association
Office News
From NPPGA President, Duane Maatz ~ Time is a premium. Our days are quickly becoming shorter and the amount of work that needs doing is accelerating. Our cooler nights are also providing that bulking in early varieties. I was in the potato / mosquito patch last night and was surprised at how tuber size has changed during the past week. Rainfall earlier this week was very welcome unless you live in the far southeast corner of the state where they experienced seven or more inches.
Process Growers Projecting Costs - Process growers have conducted their financial analysis and cost projections for the 2009 crop year. Cropping alternatives continue to compete for land. I have a genuine concern regarding 2009 planting intentions.
Exec Committee Meets - The Executive Committee met this week to discuss the current and year end financial position. We are continuing to work on acquiring grant funds in the receivable form as well as applying for the new 2008 Farm Bill specialty crop grants. These funds will helps us better balance our cash flow while enhancing our capabilities and grower returns.
Potato Bowl USA - Potato Bowl is coming at us like a freight train. If you are inclined, please send your contribution to the Assn. office. Highlights include a golf outing the world’s largest order of fries, the parade and football game to be held during the week of Sept. 8.
Field Days Next Week! - Summer educational programming will be conducted next week. The twilight tour will be held at Oberg’s near Hoople next Tuesday evening and the Tappen field day will be on Thursday. If you are looking for some home town fun, Barnesville Potato Days is scheduled for next week.
From NPPGA Marketing Director, Ted Kreis ~ Russ Davis Show Attended - This past Wednesday I attended the Russ Davis Wholesale Show in Wadena, MN. Bryan Folson from Folson Farms and Dave Moquist from O.C. Schulz also attended. The Red River Valley potato booth was sponsored by Associated Potato, Folson Farms, and O.C. Schulz & Sons. All three supply potatoes to RDW.
RDW is growing into one of the largest produce wholesalers in the upper Midwest and have a very good reputation for shipping high quality produce.
Welcome Rain Falls - The entire Red River Valley received a healthy dose of rain this past Monday. 2” to 4” totals were very common from the Canadian border to the South Dakota Border. Some areas in the southern valley received too much with up to 7” in the Wahpeton, ND. area. Overall crops look very good and most have sufficient moisture to sustain them through the rest of the growing season. The Red River Valley will see digging start in about two weeks.
Potato Markets Still Strong - Prices have slipped a bit but are still holding strong out of Wisconsin, Big Lake and Long Prairie this week. Base price for size-A reds is generally close to $30/cwt. in Minnesota and mid 30s in Wisconsin. .
Russet prices also remain strong with 40 to 80 count cartons topping $45/cwt. out of Idaho and Washington.
Bytes Trivia ~ Last week’s Trivia winner was Gary Franc from the University of Wyoming. Gary knew the Marlon Brando line "Horror has a face, and you must make a friend of horror.” came from the movie “Apocalypse Now”.
Here is this week’s Trivia question: Who is the only musical group to have two of the top ten best selling singles in the 1970’s? Send your answer to tkreis@nppga.org. The winner will receive a NPPGA lapel pin.
This Week’s Amazing Fact : A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 100 m.p.h.!
NDSU Blightline ~ Welcome to the NDSU Blightline for August 15th sponsored by Syngenta Crop Protection.
Current recommendations: Conditions have been conductive for the development of late blight the past two days in western ND and MN due to the cool temperatures and scattered thunderstorms. Late blight severity values continue to accumulate; and all the dryland sites recorded an increase in severity values. Late blight has still not been reported in North Dakota or Minnesota.
According to accumulated P-days across the region, the crop is at a maturity at which it is susceptible to infection by the early blight pathogen. Continue to scout fields, particularly edges adjacent to fields planted to potatoes in 2007. If early blight lesions are found in the top half of the canopy, premium fungicides including Revus Top, Endura and Scala should be applied.
The accumulated late blight severity values as of today for the irrigated sites are:
Beach 0 Hofflund 5 Karlsruhe 33
Leonard 30 Linton 27 Mandan 19
Minot 14 Oakes 35 Robinson 30
Tappen 28 Williston 5 Michigan 47
The accumulated late blight severity values as of today for the dryland sites are:
Ada 32 Cando 28 Cavalier 20
Crary 31 Eldred 34 Forest River 25
Grand Forks 32 Hillsboro 33 Humboldt 20
Perley 30 Rolla 35 Sabin 27
St. Thomas 37 Stephen 17 Warren 31
Thank you for using the NDSU Blightline.
Industry News
From the North Dakota Dept. of Ag ~ Ag Department Providing Pesticide Information to Medical Facilities - The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) is providing almost 400 hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities across the state with a new manual on recognizing and treating pesticide poisoning.
“More than 10,000 pesticides are registered in North Dakota, so occasional cases of accidental pesticide poisoning are not unexpected,” said Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson. “This manual is designed to give health care providers, especially emergency personnel, the information they need to treat people who have been affected by these products.”
The 235-page book, “Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings,” is published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The authors, Dr. J. Routt Reigart and Dr. James M. Roberts, are faculty members of the Medical University of South Carolina.
The new, fifth edition of the manual covers toxicology, signs and symptoms of poisoning, and treatment in 19 chapters on major types of pesticides, including new products that have come on the market since 1989. It also has a new chapter on disinfectants, reviews clinical experiences with pesticide poisonings, and detailed references. Funding for the manuals was provided by the EPA.
“This is part of EPA’s Healthcare Initiative to foster cooperation between pesticide regulators, like the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, and the healthcare community,” Johnson said. “EPA hopes that better recognition of pesticide poisoning and tracking pesticide-related health incidents will help the department to better identify and mitigate the risk posed by these products.”
Producers Urged to Check Eligibility for Disaster Aid - Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson is urging producers to make sure that they qualify for the new permanent disaster program included in the 2008 Farm Bill.
“If you did not buy the required minimum crop insurance (CAT) and non-insured crop disaster assistance (NAP) for 2008, you have until Sept. 16 to become eligible for 2008 disaster assistance,” Johnson said. “This is a one-time exemption to buy eligibility for the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE).”
Johnson said the exemption is being made available because the Farm Bill was passed after the deadline for purchasing both crop insurance and NAP coverage.
“Under the exemption, you can request a waiver and pay a buy-in fee by Sept. 16,” he said. “You will not receive CAT and/or NAP benefits, but you will be eligible for qualifying losses under SURE.”
SURE provides disaster assistance for crop revenue losses on a whole-farm basis, forage losses from drought, disaster-related livestock deaths and certain other disaster-related losses.
“If you have any questions about your eligibility for 2008 SURE benefits, you should contact your local Farm Service Agency office immediately,” Johnson said. “Although the final provisions for SURE are still being written, the exemption and the deadline have been established.”
Johnson Names Local Foods Marketing Specialist - Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson has appointed Sue Bartholomew Balcom as a local foods marketing specialist in the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.
“The local foods initiative will promote the production and sale of locally-grown foods and encourage North Dakotans to eat a healthier diet,” Johnson said. “As an award-winning journalist who has edited a weekly newspaper for the past 8 years, Sue has the kind of experience the department needs to develop and promote this statewide effort.”
In her new position, Balcom will organize and conduct regional meetings, as well as a statewide summit, with community leaders on developing a local foods initiative. She will prepare informational and promotional materials, provide technical assistance to communities, and coordinate efforts of farmers, buyers, suppliers and local government in planning local foods programs and projects.
A Gackle native, Balcom earned degrees from the North Dakota State School of Science in graphic arts and from Bismarck State College in visual arts. She worked as a fiber artist from 1988 to 2001, and since then as editor of the Mandan News. She has won numerous journalism honors, including the North Dakota Newspaper Association’s 2008 general excellence award and 2008 sweeps champion award. Balcom and her family live in Mandan.
From the Minnesota Dept. of Ag ~ Minnesota Eligible To Receive Federal Specialty Crop Block Grants - Funds will help increase competitiveness of specialty crops
The State of Minnesota is now eligible to receive 2008 federal grant funds for the promotion and enhancement of specialty crops produced in the state. Minnesota is eligible to receive just over $136 thousand out of a total of $10 million in grant funds available from the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP).
The grants are authorized by the recently enacted Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. Under this program, specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. The SCBGP Specialty Crop Block Grants will be administered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Agricultural Marketing Services Division. Marketing Director Kurt Markham says these grants have helped specialty crops producers in a variety of ways.
“More and more Minnesota producers are looking to diversify their farms and these funds can help them be competitive, whether it’s to pay for promotional materials, research or training,” Markham said. “In addition, associations and organizations have applied for and received funds to help with marketing and promotion.”
For example, the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association used its grant to increase profits for potato growers through a breeding program, a producer education program, marketing initiatives, and a training program for negotiators. A SCBGP grant enabled the Northharvest Bean Growers Association to establish a Scientific Advisory Council. This council has provided advice on the health benefits attributable to the consumption of dry edible beans and has identified what additional research is necessary into how humans benefit from bean consumption.
The Minnesota Grown Program used its grant to increase marketing assistance to specialty crop producers. Minnesota Grown also used the funds to increase the visibility of Minnesota Grown spokesperson Carrie Tollefson and to increase the research and effectiveness of the Minnesota Grown Directory. The SCBGP grant also helped Minnesota Grown assist the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association in promoting consumer awareness and use of the association’s website, www.gardenminnesota.com.
Applicants interested in applying for a grant should MDA Marketing Specialist Lisa Wu at 651-201-6089 or fang.wu@state.mn.us . Grant applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on August 7, 2008 to be considered for funding. Additional information is also available on the following website:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5070580 .
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Make Plans Now to Attend POTATO EXPO 2009 in San Antonio January 7-9 - Learn more about the POTATO EXPO 2009 by visiting www.potato-expo.com.
Many national potato organizations are scheduling meetings in San Antonio the week of the Expo including PMANA, the National Potato Council, the United Potato Growers of America, the US Potato Board, and the American Potato Trade Alliance. For a complete schedule of these meetings, go to: http://www.potato-expo.com/mc/community/vieweventcalendar.do?orgId=napc&selCalendarMonth=0&selCalendarYear=2009 .
Items for Potato Bytes? - If you would like to submit an item or announce an upcoming event in Potato Bytes, or if you have a story idea for the Valley Potato Grower magazine, please call (218) 773-3633 or send an e-mail to communication@nppga.org.
