Eye on Potatoes: A Podcast on All Things Potatoes

As the final ballots are still being tallied, control of both the U.S. Senate and House remain hanging in the balance. To help make sense of it all, Beltway-insiders from government relations firm The Russell Group join us to learn more about what the midterm results could mean for the potato industry. NPC policy and political advisors Tyson Redpath and Jessica Schulken from The Russell Group join...

In late September, Congressman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) introduced the " Protect Farmers from the SEC Act " -- a bill that would prohibit the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from requiring publicly traded companies to disclose the greenhouse gas emissions from farms and ranches in its value chain. Congressman Lucas called in to talk about his efforts to support American agricu...

As we prepare for Potato Expo 2023 , Jan. 4-5 in Aurora, Colorado, we throw it back to an interview we conducted last January with author, chef, and Food Network personality Simon Majumdar. The Potato Expo fan favorite joined us to talk about his favorite potato dish, the versatility of potatoes, and why consumers and chefs alike love potatoes! Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Deliverin...

Kim Breshears, Chief Marketing Officer at Potatoes USA , joins the podcast to talk about how her and her team are working to strengthen the demand for potatoes in the U.S. and in important export markets around the world. Now in her eighth year with Potatoes USA, Kim also addresses how the marketing of potatoes has changed and what the industry is doing to invest in potato nutrition science and ne...

As harvest begins in earnest around the country, we check in with Bob Mattive, partner at Worley Family Farms in Monte Vista, Colorado, for an update on the 2022 potato crop in the San Luis Valley and some history of his family-owned operation. In addition, as Vice President of the Environmental Affairs Committee for the National Potato Council, Bob shares his feedback on the recent farm tour for...

The Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation ( Potato LEAF ) recently announced that Paige Hickman, a Ph. D. student at the University of Idaho, studying plant-parasitic nematodes, insect pests, and diseases of potato, was the recipient of its 2022-23 Academic Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship award is provided annually to one graduate student with a strong interest in research...

With record-breaking inflation numbers coming out of the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, we checked in with University of Idaho Assistant Professors Pat Hatzenbuehler and Liang “Jimmy” Lu to update us on the economic environment, supply chain issues, and geopolitical challenges increasing production costs for members of the potato supply chain, and reflect on the forecasts they provided atten...

Earlier this year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a proposed greenhouse gas disclosure rule that would require publicly traded companies to disclose the carbon emissions of every entity up and down their supply chain. This week, NPC CEO Kam Quarles joined the podcast to talk about how that disclosure overreach would place an overwhelming burden on food producers who suppl...

National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles calls in from the swamp to update growers on key trade and policy issues moving in Washington, D.C. Plus Kam previews the organization's  2022 Summer Meeting , June 16-17 in Nashville, which will bring together potato growers from across the country to reconnect in person and kick off the council's next fiscal year.  The Eye on Potatoes Podcast is...

For the first time in 25 years, U.S. fresh potatoes crossed into Mexico on May 11 destined for markets beyond the previous 26-kilometer restricted area. The news signaled the start of Mexico’s process to restore full market access for U.S. potatoes after decades of disputes and legal obstructions. NPC CEO Kam Quarles joined the podcast to talk about the unwavering, bipartisan support from Capitol...

Each year, the Potato Industry Leadership Institute (PILI) brings together outstanding potato growers and industry representatives for eight days of training and professional development, starting in a potato growing region and concluding in Washington, D.C. when the class links up with participants of the NPC Washington Summit. During the 2022 Washington Summit, Eye On Potatoes hosted a live podc...

Sustainability and climate change continue to be a part of the conversation, both in policy discussions and within the potato supply chain. During Potato Expo 2022, we sat down with two of the industry's sustainability leaders who are working to ensure the potato industry remains at the front of agriculture’s sustainability success story. Guests:  John Mesko, Executive Director, Potato Sustai...

Fresh off his election as NPC's 2022 President, Jared Balcom of Pasco, Washington, along with NPC VP of Legislative Affairs RJ Andrus of Idaho Falls, Idaho, sat down during the Washington Summit to talk about the council's 2022 policy agenda and the power of growers speaking with one voice to Stand Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill. The Eye on Potatoes Podcast is made possible by our prese...

For more than 25 years, Amy Walter has built a reputation as an accurate, objective, and insightful political analyst with unparalleled access to campaign insiders and decision-makers. Before her NPC Washington Summit keynote address, Amy sat down with Eye on Potato host Lane Nordlund to provide a sneak peek into the issues, trends and events that are shaping today’s tumultuous political environme...

Food insecurity, climate change, and sustainability are not words typically associated with the nutritional value of food. Even so, as USDA sets the stage to write their next Dietary Guidelines, activists are pushing to expand the federal government’s definition what “nutrition” could mean to policymakers and consumers. At Potato Expo 2022, top experts in food policy sat down to talk about how ant...

How is inflation related to changes in the post-pandemic global economy? What non-pandemic-related factors have been influential in causing higher prices for some goods, including food? What aspects of higher inflation are particularly important for influencing potato production? These questions (and more!) were answered by the experts at Potato Expo 2022 to help members of the potato industry mit...

Two years after the U.S. potato industry celebrated the Mexican Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in favor of allowing U.S. fresh potato imports, as we begin 2022, the industry has never been closer to finally supplying this important trading partner with high-quality U.S. product. During Potato Expo 2022 in Anaheim, California, the industry's trade experts sat down to discuss efforts und...

RJ Harvey joined Potatoes USA in 2017 as its Culinary Director, where he develops flavors, ideas, and concepts for the U.S. potato industry. RJ called into the podcast to talk about his background, role in fueling performance through potatoes, and impacting healthful changes across the culinary industry by adding potatoes to menus. RJ also talks about putting potatoes on center stage at Potato Exp...

In light of the multiple potato wart finds on Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI), during a meeting of the Potato Association of America on December 1, 2021, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) provided growers and industry partners an update on its soil sampling efforts throughout the province’s potato production area. Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council calls in to discuss how...

On Nov. 6, Mexico's National Service for Agricultural Health, Food Safety, and Agri-Quality (SENASICA) published the Phytosanitary Requirement Sheet for U.S. potato imports to the entirety of Mexico. NPC CEO Kam Quarles and Potatoes USA Chief Marketing Officer John Toaspern joined the podcast to announce another important step that was taken to fully reopen the market for U.S. fresh potatoes:...

With the NPC Executive Committee together this week for their first in-person meeting in D.C. since February 2020, President and Maine potato grower Dominic LaJoie joined CEO Kam Quarles for an update on the organization's end-of-year policy activities and previews of the Potato Expo 2022 and NPC Washington Summit . 

Thilani Jayakody, a third-year graduate student in the Michigan State University’s Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, was recently announced as the recipient of the Potato LEAF's 2021-22 Academic Scholarship. Thilani joins podcast host Lane Nordlund and NPC's Mike Wenkel for a conversation about her background, academic research, and the importance of the Potato LEAF schol...

National Potato Council Vice President of Legislative Affairs JR Andrus from Idaho joins CEO Kam Quarles for a discussion on proposals being floated in Congress to fund infrastructure improvements on the backs of family farmers. JR says that some infrastructure investments are important, however they should not be paid for by undermining U.S. family farms that are still struggling to recover from...

NPC 2021 President and Maine potato grower Dominic Lajoie and NPC CEO Kam Quarles sat down with us to preview next week's Summer Meeting Virtual and update the industry on a number of policy development that have occurred since the Annual Meeting in February, including:  NPC’s efforts over the pandemic to secure $350 million for growers to offset foodservice disruptions;  Ongoing negotiations...

Farmers, ranchers, and forest owners are on the frontlines of climate change and have an important role to play in developing solutions. That shared understanding led an unprecedented group — representing farmers, forest owners, the food sector, state governments, and environmental advocates — to form the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA), of which the National Potato Council is a membe...