Eye on Potatoes: A Podcast on All Things Potatoes

UPDATE: Due to scheduled construction at The Mirage Las Vegas, the National Potato Council moved the location of Potato Expo 2025 to the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 9-10, 2025.

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After more than 20 years and numerous legal challenges, the Mexican market was opened to U.S. fresh potatoes in 2022. Nearly two years later, NPC, Potatoes USA, and the industry’s top trade consultants at Bryant Christie, Inc. came together at Potato Expo 2024 to assess where things are, how far they need to go, and the challenges in realizing the potential of this valuable export market.

Guests:

• Kim Breshears, Chief Marketing Officer, Potatoes USA
• Matt Lantz, Vice President, Global Access, Bryant Christie, Inc.
• Ted Tschirky, NPC VP of Trade Affairs, Potato Grower, Pasco, Washington
• Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

During Potato Expo 2024, National Potato Council 2023 President RJ Andrus and First Vice President Bob Mattive sat down to reflect on their time on the Executive Committee and preview some of the top policy priorities for the upcoming NPC Washington Summit, Feb. 26- March 1, 2024.

RJ Andrus of Idaho Falls, Idaho, 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 as Vice President of Legislative Affairs.

In addition to serving on the National Potato Council as First Vice President and Vice President of Environmental Affairs, Bob Mattive serves on several Colorado agricultural committees and boards. The 2,000-acre Worley Family Farms is run by Bob, his wife Gail (Worley), along with their sons Grant and Reid and nephew Matthew Smartt.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

The Farm Bill expired in September 2023, and the dysfunction in Washington, D.C. continues to threaten this essential rewrite of our nation’s farm policy. Risk management, export promotion, pest and disease prevention, nutrition policy and numerous other programs that make growers competitive are tied up in political infighting. During Potato Expo 2024, Kam Quarles of National Potato Council and Tyson Redpath of The Russell Group sat down to talk about how we got here, where we might be going, and what growers can do to break the impasse on Capitol Hill.

Guests:
●        Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council
●        Tyson Redpath, Principal, The Russell Group

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

U.S. potato production is weather-sensitive and risk associated with adverse weather can derail a well-managed operation very quickly. During Potato Expo 2024, we sat down with Andrew Pritchard, Senior Meteorologist at Nutrien, to discuss how weather over the last 70 years has impacted potato production and what weather patterns are the best and worst for growing potatoes. Andrew also discussed the different types of weather risks and previewed the weather storylines to watch for in 2024.

Guest: Andrew Pritchard, Senior Meteorologist, Nutrien

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

More Americans than ever before are firing up their grills, smokers, or flattops (sometimes all at the same time!) to make complete meals outside of their home kitchens. Ace Hardware spokesperson and grilling expert Chef Jason Morse calls in to preview his Potato Expo 2024 talk about how companies are responding to increased demand for products to help consumers mimic the viral grilling recipes they’ve seen on Instagram and TikTok.

Guest: Chef Jason Morse, CEC, National Spokesperson, Grilling Expert, Ace Hardware 

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

Potatoes USA is at the forefront of promoting healthy lifestyles and culinary excellence with the versatile potato. Chef RJ Harvey calls in to preview the Potato Expo 2024 session that will explore how potatoes can be prepared to cater to unique needs and preferences, including “Food as Medicine” advocates, foodservice operators, home cooks, and the ever-evolving Generation Z.   

Guest: Chef RJ Harvey, RDN, CEC, Culinary Director, Potatoes USA 

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

Potato growers and industry partners from around the world will descend on the Austin Convention Center, Jan. 10-11, for Potato Expo 2024, which will tap into all things Texas, with barbeque, music, culture, and a heavy dose of potatoes.

Hosted annually by the National Potato Council, Potato Expo is the largest conference and trade show for the potato industry in North America, bringing together U.S. and international growers, suppliers, industry experts, and value chain partners all under one roof.

Kam Quarles, NPC CEO, and Hollee Alexander, NPC VP of Industry Relations & Events, called into the Eye On Potatoes podcast to talk about the already record-breaking Potato Expo 2024 and what the international potato industry can look forward to in Austin.

Learn more and register to join us at potato-expo.com.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

A 10-time Potato Expo attendee and frequent stage speaker, Cedric Porter, editor of World Potato Markets, called into the Eye on Potatoes podcast to discuss the state of European and global potato markets, processing trends across the world, and his love of all things potatoes.

Cedric previewed his upcoming presentation for the Potato Business Summit, Jan. 10 in Austin, Texas, during which he’ll discuss the remarkable post-pandemic growth in the global demand for potatoes and potato products. Follow him at @CedricP.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

To support the U.S. potato industry in its three-decade-old effort to open Japan's market to U.S. fresh potatoes, National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles and Bryant Christie, Inc.’s Matt Lantz traveled to Japan in late September to offer their expertise during U.S.-Japan plant health technical meetings.

Kam and Matt called into the Eye on Potatoes podcast to report on the trip and the ongoing political roadblocks erected by Japanese regulators to prevent competition with their domestic potato growers. 

Although the U.S. has had market access to Japan for chipping potatoes since 2006, the U.S. is seeking market access for all fresh potatoes, including table stock potatoes. Already the second largest market for U.S. potatoes, Japan’s market for U.S. fresh potato exports is estimated at $150 million to $200 million annually, once fully opened.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

With Rep. Kevin McCarthy out as Speaker of the House, National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles calls into the Eye On Potatoes podcast to discuss how the move could impact growers, the future of the stalled FY24 Ag Appropriations Bill, and how the ag community needs to rally behind passing a bipartisan Farm Bill before the end of the year.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.  

This week we chatted about the formulation of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and how the U.S. potato industry is working to ensure that the positive facts about potato nutrition are heard by those creating the guidelines.

We were joined by NPC CEO Kam Quarles who submitted testimony to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which is charged with reviewing the current body of nutrition science and developing a scientific report for HHS and USDA to consider as it writes the 2025 DGAs.

We were also joined by Beth Johnson, who has spent over 25 years as a food policy expert, both inside and outside of government, including at the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Senate Agriculture Committee, and the National Restaurant Association. While at USDA, she helped lead the department’s work in creating the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. She’s the Founder and Principal of Food Directions, which helps organizations and companies operating in a global food policy environment. She and her team at Food Directions have been working closely with NPC to tell the positive potato story.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles. 

The 2023 Potato Industry Leadership Institute brought together outstanding potato growers and industry representatives for eight days of training and professional development, starting in Buffalo, New York, traveling through Pennsylvania, and ending in Washington, D.C. at the NPC Washington Summit. 

The group's Grower Leader, Mike Phillips, and 2023 participant Bryan Bender sat down with Eye on Potatoes host Lane Nordlund to reflect on the training and the importance of leadership development for their operations and the greater industry.

Guests: 

• Bryan Bender, Bender Potatoes, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania 
• Mike Phillips, Walther Farms, Three Rivers, Michigan

Applications for the 2024 Leadership Institute, February 21 - March 1, 2024, is now open. Visit pleaf.org for more information.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles. 

As Congress takes a break for its annual August recess, NPC keeps on truckin' by keeping tabs on problematic amendments to the FY24 Ag Appropriations Bill, the latest efforts to write a new five-year Farm Bill, the ongoing threat of spreading potato wart from Canada's Prince Edward Island to U.S. farms, and more. 

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles. 

The National Potato Council's annual EPA-USDA Farm Tour allows federal regulators the opportunity to meet with growers face-to-face to better understand how their decisions have real-world implications on family farms. In July 2023, NPC partnered with the Washington State Potato Commission (WSPC) to host its annual Agency Farm Tour in Washington’s Columbia Basin for USDA and EPA staff. Tour stops focused on the use of potato production technologies, including demonstrations of seed treatment, irrigation-mounted imaging cameras, drone and see-and-spray cameras, fumigation and chemigation equipment, and monitoring devices and models.

The Eye on Potatoes podcast caught up with Washington state potato grower and NPC Environmental Affairs Committee Member Grant Morris, who hosted tour participants on his farm and demonstrated his operation's use of drone scouting tools to aid in his Integrated Pest Management efforts.

Guests: 

• Grant Morris, Partner at Schneider Farms, Pasco, Wash.; WSPC Commissioner; and National Potato Council Environmental Affairs Committee Member
• Mike Wenkel, COO, National Potato Council

Learn more about NPC's annual agency farm tour here.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles. 

Previously administered by the National Potato Council (NPC), the Potato Industry Leadership Institute (PILI) is a program of the Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF), a non-profit 501(c)3 public charity focused on leadership and education opportunities for the U.S. potato industry. As the program celebrates 20 years of training future potato leaders, the Eye on Potatoes podcast brought together four graduates during Potato Expo 2023 to talk about their experiences and how PILI impacted their careers. 

Guests:

• Dave Warsh, participant of the 2002 Class and a past president of NPC
• Derek Peterson, participant of the 2012 Class
• Taylor Grant, participant of the 2022 Class
• RJ Andrus, participant of the 2006 Class, Board Member of Potato LEAF, and 2023 NPC President

The Leadership Institute is a 10-day program that provides an overview of the U.S. potato industry, the challenges and issues beyond the production sector, and the roles of the industry’s state and national organizations in maintaining a positive business climate for potato growers. Learn more at pleaf.org.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles. 

With NPC President RJ Andrus and Eye on Potatoes podcast host Lane Nordlund both in town for meetings, we pulled together an in-person(!) discussion on some of the most pressing policy issues facing the U.S. potato industry, including: 

• Bipartisan efforts to open Japan's market for U.S. fresh potatoes
• The impact of the Supreme Court's decision on Sackett vs. EPA on EPA's overreaching WOTUS regulations
• The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance's advocacy efforts and recent activity on the Farm Bill
• And the 2023 NPC Summer Meeting later this month in Lake Tahoe.  

Guests:

• RJ Andrus, TBR Farms, Idaho Falls, Idaho, and the 2023 President of the National Potato Council
• Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles. 

During Potato Expo 2023, the Eye on Potatoes podcast brought together the National Potato Council’s current, incoming, and immediate past presidents for a live recording where they offered their unique perspectives on the U.S. potato industry, the importance of grower leadership, and having strong associations at the state and national level.

Guests:

• Jared Balcom, NPC 2022 President, Balcom & Moe, Pasco, Wash.
• Dominic LaJoie, NPC 2021President,  President/Owner, LaJoie Growers LLC, Van Buren, Maine
• RJ Andrus, NPC 2023 President, TBR Farms, Idaho Falls, ID

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles. 

Regenerative Agriculture has become a new term for production agriculture, and everyone is wondering what it means. During Potato Expo 2023, leaders in the potato industry sat down with the Eye on Potatoes podcast to talk about how they are defining it and practices that can result in positive benefits to producers.

Guests:

• Ryan Findlay, Regional Lead Business Development, Rabo Carbon Bank
• Daniel Metheringham, Vice President of Agriculture, McCain Foods USA
• Mike Wenkel, COO, National Potato Council

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles. 

During Potato Expo 2023, key association CEOs throughout the U.S. potato industry came together for a live podcast recording focused on current and future opportunities for potatoes. Alison Bodor, President and CEO of the American Frozen Foods Institute, Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, and Blair Richardson, President and CEO of Potatoes USA, sat down with Eye on Potatoes podcast host Lane Nordlund to talk about how the organizations work together to strengthen partnerships, create new opportunities, and work collaboratively to improve the potato industry.

Guests:

• Alison Bodor, President & CEO, American Frozen Food Institute
• Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council
• Blair Richardson, President & CEO, Potatoes USA

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles. 

The full Mexican market for fresh U.S. potatoes was finally opened in the Spring of 2022, culminating a decades-long effort to tap into that massive market.  Since then, Potatoes USA has been working with its team in-country to build that market. At the same time, the National Potato Council has been working with Administration and Congressional leaders to ensure the boarder remains open for U.S. shipments. 

During Potato Expo 2023, we sat down with Kim Breshears, Chief Marketing Officer of Potatoes USA, Kam Quarles, CEO of NPC, and Matt Lantz, Vice President of Global Access at Bryant Christie Inc., to talk about the potential for Mexico for fresh potato exports, how have things been going so far, and efforts to open new markets for U.S. potatoes and potato products.
 
Guests: 

• Kim Breshears, Chief Marketing Officer, Potatoes USA
• Kam Quarles, CEO, NPC
• Matt Lantz, Vice President of Global Access, Bryant Christie Inc.

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato growing obstacles.