Potato Bytes
Potato News
Friday, September 12, 2008
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Northern Plains Potato Growers Association
Office News
From NPPGA President Duane Maatz ~ Potato Bowl USA is always a busy week here in Grand Forks and particularly for our office. After the Booster Luncheon we have the parade, baked potato bar, sponsors tailgating event and of course the football game remaining. It has been another good week.
The record for the World’s Largest Order of Fries was set again this year after a disappointing rainy day last year. Nearly 4,900 pounds of fries were consumed at University Park last night. This year the potatoes for the event were a blend from Dawson Farms and Four State Ag. They were dug on Monday, processed in a special run on Tuesday, fried and consumed in the park on Thursday. It continues to be a great community activity with thousands in attendance.
Next week a meeting will be held in Washington DC related to the EPA review of soil fumigants. The proposed rules make use and application very difficult. Extension Agronomist Nick David has been working on the issue and we will continue this work into the future. In the near term we need to gather additional information and be prepared to make comments to the proposed rules during the upcoming month. Watch for more information in the next weeks.
From NPPGA Marketing Director, Ted Kreis ~ Red Prices Slip Below $20. Tote red prices from Southern Minnesota have slipped to around $18/cwt. This is still about double compared to the same week last year. Most potatoes are now coming out of Long Prairie. The shipping season was winding down last year at this time, but still has about two weeks to go this year.
Reds Replace Russets at Picking Contest – The Potato Picking Contest held every year at the French Fry Feed had a new sponsor this year. NoKota Packers from Buxton took over the event from long time sponsor North American Foods (RDO). That meant red potatoes from the fresh packer replaced russets provided by the dehydrator. Brenda Gjelsness headed up the effort and did a great job.
Red River Valley Fresh Sends Out First Rebate Checks – Red River Valley Fresh Members received their first rebate checks this week. The rebate is based on a partnership agreement between Bayer Crop Sciences and the United Potato Growers of America. Bayer will make three such payments each year to UPGA who in turn pays local affiliated co-ops a dollar amount based on acreage.
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North Dakota Selections to Start Sunday – North Dakota Potato Breeder Susie Thompson says rain and other commitments have delayed the start of her selection process to this Sunday, September 14 th. Susie estimates the selection process will take 4-5 days. Interested growers are urged to stop by the Langdon Research and Extension Center. Call Susie at 701-799-8536 for more information.
UM, Potato Breeding & Genetics, Week of 15 September harvest schedule) - Four (4) potato research trials will be harvested by Christian Thill and Nick David at the Sand Plain Experimental Research Farm, Becker, Minnesota. Please see http://www.maes.umn.edu/components/ROCSPF.asp for contact information and directions.
Christian Thill will harvest 1) common scab disease severity observation and resistance breeding trials having 600 clonal entries; 2) MN breeding selections having 300 clonal entries; and 3) NCR Regional variety trial having 30 clonal entries. Nick David will harvest a seed spacing trial having 20 commercial cultivar entries @ 6, 9, and 12” seed spacing. Research plots will be transported by semi truck to the USDA Potato Research Worksite, East Grand Forks, MN for grading and sizing, and post harvest evaluation.
Bytes Trivia ~ Last week’s Trivia winner was Tanya Mesheski from Britton Transport in Grand Forks. Tanya knew The Naval Academy is nicknamed “Canoe U”.
Here is this week’s Trivia question: Name Popeye’s four nephews . Send your answer to tkreis@nppga.org. The winner will receive a calculator.
This Week’s Strange Fact : Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!
Industry News
From the North Dakota Dept. of Ag ~ NASDA Asks Lifting of Cuba Embargo to Hasten Hurricane Relief – The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) is urging the Bush Administration to speed delivery of aid to Cuba by immediately lifting restrictions on trade, travel and financial transactions.
“In light of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the need for rapid humanitarian aid to the Cuban victims is essential,” said North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, president of NASDA. “We believe that a suspension of trade and travel restrictions would be an effective way to achieve that goal.”
In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Johnson said U.S. sanctions allow sales U.S. food and agricultural sales to Cuba, but that U.S. payment and travel restrictions disrupt and sometimes prevent normal trade.
“That policy now puts our nation in a position that is inconsistent with its long history of providing humanitarian relief to victims of disaster throughout the world,” Johnson said.
The two hurricanes damaged or destroyed an estimated 320,000 homes in Cuba. The damage to the island’s agriculture is extensive.
NASDA has long urged the administration and Congress to re-examine U.S. policy towards Cuba, calling it inconsistent with trade policy to other countries and citing its negative impact on U.S. farm trade
NASDA represents the commissioners, secretaries and directors of the departments of agriculture in the fifty states and four U.S. territories.
Credit Review Board Sets Valley City Meeting – The North Dakota Credit Review Board (CRB) has scheduled an open forum for agriculture lenders, implement dealers and other agri-business representatives during its regular meeting, Monday, Sept. 29, in Valley City.
The forum begins at 1 p.m., at the AmericInn, 280 Winter Show Road.
“We hope Valley City area lenders and agri-business people will attend and share their thoughts and ideas,” said Elwood “Woody” Barth, Solen, CRB chairman. “The board is especially interested in first-hand reports of current farm financial conditions and producer attitudes, as well as their own expectations for the coming year.”
Following the forum, the board will continue its regular meeting. Both the forum and meeting are open to the public.
The six-member CRB establishes policy for the North Dakota Agricultural Mediation Service (NDAMS), serves in an advisory role to the North Dakota Farm and Ranch Business Management Program, and advises the Industrial Commission on Bank of North Dakota farm lending programs.
From the National Potato Council ~ From the National Potato Council ~ Carbofuran Cancellation Debate - The National Potato Council (NPC) along with the National Cotton Council and the National Corn Growers Association sent a letter to the Director of Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to request an extension on the comment deadline for Carbofuran: Proposed Tolerance Revocations (EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0162), 73 Fed. Reg. 44,863 (July 31, 2008). The request for the 90 day extension to prepare comments was due to the unexpected proposal for the tolerance revocation of Carbofuran and the opportunity to provide additional risk information to the agency. Carbofuran continues to provide important benefits to potato growers for specific use patterns and geographic areas. NPC will continue to work with the OPP on continuing the use of Carbofuran.
ESA Comment Period Extended - On September 11, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced in the Federal Register a 30-day extension of the deadline for commenting on the “proposed regulations governing interagency cooperation under the Endangered Species Act” that were published on August 15, 2008 (73 FR 47868). FWS and NMFS have received a number of written requests to extend the public comment period. Upon consideration of these requests, FWS and NMFS believed it was appropriate to provide an additional 30 day period for comment on the proposed regulation. The comment period for this proposed rule was originally ending on September 15, 2008 and due to the 30-day extension the comment period will end on October 15, 2008. NPC is working with NESARC and other agricultural groups to provide comments to the docket. The failure of FWS and NMFS to agree on an effective process for consultation with EPA on endangered species issues relating to pesticide registrations jeopardizes the continued availability of key chemical inputs.
DHS No Match Rule - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requested an extension of the time period for court proceedings scheduled for September 12, 2008 on the Social Security “no match” rule. Enforcement of the “no match” rule was ordered delayed by a federal court on October 15, 2007. The basis for the request for extension is that DHS is finalizing its supplemental rulemaking. An extension until October 31, 2008 was granted by the court.
NPC Scholarships Announced - The NPC announced the winners of the 2008-2009 National Potato Council Scholarship. The scholarships are awarded annually to assist graduate students pursuing advanced studies that address the research needs of the U. S. potato industry. The scholarship awards went to Leah McCann, University of Wisconsin – Madison, for plant breeding and and genetics to improve chipping potatoes; Maria Del Pilar Marquez-Villavicencio, University of Wisconsin – Madison for work in potato plant pathology; and Jason Cavatorta, Cornell University, for plant breeding and genetics research on potato virus. This year NPC provided $10,000 in total scholarship awards.
GM Potato Crop - If regulatory approval is granted in the European Union starting in 2009, Danish farmers will have the opportunity to begin growing genetically modified potato crops. The most attractive GM potato product for these growers is a type of crop which is resistant to weeds. Also on the list of potential plantings is a variety of potato which has been modified to have high starch content. Neither of these crops are currently approved for planting by the EU, but efforts are underway to obtain the necessary regulatory approval in order to allow the GM varieties to be planted during the 2009 crop year.
Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder - Scientists at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) in Maryland, the University of Montana and industry partners Bee Alert Technology, Inc. and BVS, Inc. have discovered in U.S. honeybees a virus that has only been previously found in European honeybees. The newly discovered virus is called Varroa Destructor Virus-1 (VDV-1). VDV-1 is carried by both honeybees and the tiny varroa mites that affect them. This is the first detection of this virus in North America and will allow beekeepers in the U.S. the possibility of early control and quarantine of affected colonies. Growers of pollinated crops have been negatively impacted by the decline in pollinator quantity and health. The crisis in pollinator health has led some groups to call for additional scrutiny of insecticides applied to all crops. These groups are attempting to make the case that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) regulations do not adequately examine the impacts on non-target insect species including bees.
Genetically Engineered Crops - On September 2, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) posted an announcement in the Federal Register on regulating the introduction of genetically engineered (GE) organisms that are, or may be, plant pests. According to USDA it is essential that applicants approved to introduce regulated GE organisms comply with all APHIS regulations and permit conditions. To improve compliance, APHIS is developing a voluntary, audit-based compliance assistance program known as the Biotechnology Quality Management System (BQMS). APHIS is seeking voluntary participants for a BQMS pilot project to serve as representatives of the regulated community.
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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 .
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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.
