diseAse identiFiCAtiOn Jeff Miller jeff@millerresearch.com
MArKet rePOrt Ben eborn napmn@napmn.com
POtAtO GrOwers OF wAshinGtOn dale Lathim
editOriAL inFOrMAtiOn
Potato Country is interested in newsworthy material related to potato production and marketing. Contributions from all segments of the industry are welcome. Submit news releases, new product submissions, stories and photos via email to: editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com.
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Email address changes/corrections to: brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com or send to Potato Country, PO Box 333, Roberts, ID 83444. Potato Country magazine (ISSN 0886-4780), is published eight times per year and mailed under a standard rate mailing permit at Idaho Falls, Idaho and at additional mailing offices. It is produced by: Columbia Media Group, PO Box 333, Roberts, ID 83444 Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of Columbia Media Group.
Suit Up for Storage: Protect potato quality and your return on investment
YaraLiva calcium nitrate products are the best in-season fertilizer products for your potatoes. With completely soluble calcium and potato-preferred nitrate nitrogen, YaraLiva products guarantee these critical nutrients are quickly and efficiently available to help potatoes thrive. YaraLiva’s soluble calcium protects potatoes from abiotic stress like heat, drought, salinity and sodicity, biotic stress such as pink rot and other bacterial and fungal infections, and physiological disorders like hollow heart, internal brown spot and bruise. Nitrate nitrogen is fast-acting and predictable to ensure there are no late-season flare-ups of unwanted nitrogen that can occur with urea and other ammonium forms. Across multiple trials, Yara’s TopPotato program featuring YaraLiva has produced an average return on investment of $139/acre over the grower standard, up to an 11% increase in nitrogen use efficiency, and a 24% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per acre
For more information and trial results, visit www.yara.us or scan here.
smart spuds Application of Artificial intelligence to enhance Potato Breeding and Genetics
By Max Feldman, Collins Wakholi and Devin Rippner, USDA-ARS; and Bhoja Basnet, USDA/Cornell University Breeding Insight
Artificial intelligence (AI) may offer solutions to some of the diverse challenges faced in agriculture. AI is a bit of a catch-all term used to describe predictive modeling, classification, computer vision, natural language processing and autonomous system computing. Practically speaking, these tools enable us to forecast yield or profits from sample observations, identify product quality flaws, extract insights from text data, and deploy self-driving equipment like tractors and drones. Recent advancements in both computing hardware and accessibility are driving the rapid adoption of this technology in many sectors of our economy.
ALimitations of traditional Breeding
Unlike AI, plant breeding is an ancient process based on recurrent cycles of sexual hybridization, evaluation and selection. Applied plant breeding programs are labor intensive operations that routinely must generate, observe and evaluate hundreds to thousands of individuals and select those exhibiting superior combinations of traits. Our understanding of how traits are inherited is largely based on identifying statistically significant associations between observed phenotypes (size, shape, nutrient content, etc.) and DNA markers inherited from each parent using
B C
methods from the field of quantitative genetics. Linking this genotype and phenotype data is valuable to the breeder as it enables the process of molecular marker discovery and is the basis of predictive breeding methods like genomic selection.
Genetic improvement of potato through traditional breeding is challenging due to tetraploid genetics, slow rate of increase through clonal propagation and the stringent requirements of the consumer. Historically, potato breeding programs have heavily relied on brute force phenotypic selection to identify the highest performing clones from an initial breeding population of 50,000 - 100,000 individuals over an eight- to 10-year period. Initial evaluations are purely visual in nature and generally last less than a minute. Data on yield components, solids content, tuber shape, fry quality and defect susceptibility can generally be collected as early as the second field year with increased replication and additional field sites incorporated in later years. Although this process efficiently removes poor performing clones from the breeding pipeline, our inability to comprehensively and quantitatively evaluate many of the characteristics that influence cultivar adoption at early stages in this process limit application of the quantitative genetics methods that enable predictive breeding.
Potential of Artificial intelligence
Perhaps surprisingly, evaluation of many of these important characteristics
Figure 1. An artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled potato grading platform. A) Potato sample imaging conveyor. B) RGB image from the camera. C) Depth map from the camera.
including tuber size, count, shape, skin and flesh color, fry quality, dormancy and susceptibility to defects can be performed through visual inspection. Humans are naturally good at recognizing objects from their characteristics and can use cognition to group objects into similar categories. Artificial intelligence models can also be trained to do this with high accuracy but at a rate of speed that greatly surpasses human capabilities. This capacity is tremendously useful in the field of quantitative genetics and plant breeding. Our ability to understand trait inheritance is dependent upon our ability to measure these features on a large number of related individuals (full or half-siblings). Technologies like image capture and artificial intelligence enable us to assess many characteristics simultaneously and at appropriate scale, while also reducing labor burden.
These principles have guided the USDA-ARS Potato Genetics Lab in Prosser,
Washington, to develop an AI-powered potato tuber evaluation workflow that can be used to leverage predictive breeding in potato. Collins Wakholi, a postdoctoral research associate in Devin Rippner’s USDA-ARS soil science laboratory, constructed an AI-based data collection platform from consumer-grade hardware components including a beltconveyor, image staging box with uniform lighting, RGB-D camera and GPU-enabled computer (Fig. 1A). This imaging system captures both a color image and depth map at a rate of 15 images per second while the GPU-enabled computer is using an AI model to detect and track the individual tubers across the imaging plane, saving a single cropped image and depth map of each tuber (Fig. 1B, Fig. 1C).
This enabled Max Feldman’s Potato Genetics Lab to evaluate many different characteristics on >1,500 breeding samples (32,000 lbs or >75,000 tubers)
and draw conclusions about the inheritance of potato tuber size, shape, color and starch content from germplasm developed by the Tri-State Potato Breeding Program (Fig. 2). The simplicity of the design lends itself to other applications that utilize visual scoring techniques such as fry quality assessment and defect susceptibility.
Another benefit of this approach is that data already collected for one purpose may be reused to train models that enable us to measure new features. USDA/Cornell Breeding Insight scientists Bhoja Basnet and Tyr Wiesner-Hanks utilized the partially annotated data collected from these studies to construct new models that can detect tuber defects including sprouting, growth cracks, secondary growth and greening with acceptable accuracy (Fig. 3). Breeding Insight is funded by the USDA, housed at Cornell University and levels the cropimprovement playing field by supporting
Figure 2. Evaluation of breeding families segregating for Columbia root-knot nematode resistance. A) Factorial mating design used to assess inheritance of polygenic traits in this nematode resistance breeding population. B) Breeding family (20 – 50 individuals) is plotted along the x-axis, whereas the percentage of potato tubers > 8 oz. is plotted along the y-axis. Box plots are colored by Columbia root-knot resistant maternal parent. The yellow dashed line represents a proposed selection cut-off based on industry standards. C) The effect size and significance of maternal and paternal contribution to this trait.
USDA-ARS specialty crop breeders as they adopt data-driven tools and cutting-edge technologies in their day-to-day work. These models can be applied to new and existing data to glean additional insights and discover genetic variants linked with susceptibility to these defects.
AI enables us to learn more about a larger number of breeding samples than has ever been possible and makes the process much less toilsome. This alone will undoubtedly improve our ability to breed better potatoes.
Authors’ note: Funding to support construction of this platform was provided by the USDA ARS-State Potato Research Partnership. Funding for the Columbia root-knot resistance breeding project is supported by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) award number 2022-51181-38450, Potatoes & Pests: Actionable Science Against Nematodes.
Bulk Beds/BoXes
2007 Double L 901 20’ Front/Rear Drives/ Elec.
2001 Double L 801 20’ Front/Rear Drives/ Combo
2006 Spudnik 4200 20’ Front/Rear Drives/ Elec.
2003 Spudnik 4200 20’ Front/Rear Drives/ Elec.
1996 Spudnik 2100 20’ Front/Rear Drives/ Elec.
trucks
1996 Ford L9000 Auto, Cummins 2012 Logan 22’ bed
1991 GMC Topkick Cat motor Auto Trans
2009 Logan LP20 Bed Combo EZ Tarp
1981 Ford L8000 Tandem Cat 3208 Auto Trans w/ Brownie 20’ bed ready
1978 IH Tandem DS 10spd PTO 20’ bed ready
Pilers
2017 Double L 861 42” Piler 3phase
2007 Milestone 36” All Belt, 50’ boom 3ph remote
1999 Double L 831 36” BC Elev/49’ boom 3ph HYD Drive & Remote
1998 Double L 831 36” BC Elev./49’ boom 3ph Elec. Drive & Remote
1994 Spudnik 550 36” All Belt /50’ Boom 3ph Remote
1992 Spudnik 525 36” BC Elev./48’ boom 3ph 230 volt Remote
1989 Spudnik 550 36” BC Elev. 48’ Boom 3ph 480 Volt Remote
scooPers
Spudnik 100 24” 3ph
Spudnik 1000 Scoop trailer
dammer dikers
2018 Logan Yield Pro 6 row
2015 Logan Yield Pro 6 row
2013 Ag Engineering 4 row Hyd. Reset
3. Artificial intelligence models can be used to classify potato defects such as: A) a potato with sprouts, B) a potato with growth cracks, C) a potato exhibiting secondary growth, and D) a potato with greening defect.
even flows/ surge HoPPers/ croP carts
2016 Double L 968 1000cwt 48” Elv 48” discharge 3ph
1996 Double L 860 600cwt 42” Elevator 36” discharge 3ph W/ 42” x 10’ Belt Stinger
1994 Spudnik 1800 600cwt 48” Elevator 36’ discharge 3ph
2013 Mayo 455 Surge Hopper 300cwt 3ph, 2 belt stingers
Thermo Fisher Scientific Versa Flex Checkweigher System Model 40-060.
2017 Alliston 48” x 8’ rolling table
Alliston Flume 48’’Wx13’L SS destoner
Kwik Locs
Neu Tech 9 lane weigher Ag Pak bagger
2 Kwik Locs
Grain Treater USC LP2000 with seed wheel
Newhouse 6 row Vine Shredder
seed cutters
2014 Better Built 72” model 400 3ph
1985 Milestone MSC48 48” Cutter
1988 Better Built 36” model 2300
treaters
2013 Better Built CDT10’/10” Duster
Chemical auger
2010 Better Built CDT10’/10” Duster
1997 Milestone MSBD36” Barrel
Figure
topcon Agriculture Announces value Line Autosteering system
Topcon Agriculture has launched its Value Line Steering option, a new offering aimed at making precision farming accessible for small and medium-sized farming operations. The Value Line Steering system makes advanced autosteering capabilities compatible with a wider range of tractors and enables older tractors to operate at sub-5 cm accuracy levels previously reserved for new, high-end machinery, according to the company. Visit www.topconpositioning.com.
Miller research Celebrates 50 years
Story and photos by Bill Schaefer
It was in 1973 that Terry Miller decided to forego a career in agricultural research and return to Idaho and help his father, Percy Chester Miller, manage the family farm.
Miller had been working for the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, Ohio, as a research scientist and instructor, specializing in vegetable pathology, when his father, following a heart attack, asked if he would be interested in coming home to help run the 320-acre farm in Minidoka County, east of Rupert, Idaho.
In a recent interview, Miller recalled that his peers at the Ohio research
station couldn’t understand why he would give up a tenured research position to return to sweat and toil on the family farm back in remote Idaho.
“‘You are going to give up the prestige of being here and a professor and go farm?’ They couldn’t quite fathom that,” he said of the Ohio researchers. “But, as it turns out, they were wrong and I was right.”
It’s a decision that he’s never regretted and one that would result in the beginnings of Miller Research in 1975, now celebrating its 50-year anniversary.
Today, Terry’s son, Jeff, oversees Miller Research as the president, CEO and
principal field investigator, and Terry, after a failed attempt at retirement, continues to assist part-time as a senior research scientist.
Returning to the family farm in 1974, Terry and his father started a consulting company advising local farmers on fertility, irrigation, taking soil and petiole samples and what to spray for specific crop diseases.
“So we started a consulting company, and then eventually one of the professors from Berkeley (where Terry had done some post-doctoral work) brought a study for us to do on potatoes. There were several of them there who were
Jeff Miller (left) poses for a photo in the seat of a chemical applicator, with his father, Terry Miller, at their research facility.
working on potato diseases,” Terry said. “Eventually, we quit consulting, and as the word went out that we were doing research, then some of the companies started coming, and it just kept growing and growing.”
Terry and his father continued to farm, concentrating on potatoes, sugar beets and some grains, all while adding more acres to the farming operation. Meanwhile, the nascent Miller Research’s reputation continued expanding within Idaho’s agricultural community, extending into the Pacific Northwest while at the same time developing relationships with agrichemical companies such as Simplot, Bayer and Syngenta.
“It was a long process because getting clients was a little slow, so the farming carried the research,” he said.
Terry kept farming until 2002 when he decided that Miller Research could stand on its own.
“It just kept growing and growing,” Terry said of the research business side. “Finally we quit farming, but the farming was the tool that allowed us to survive while we built up Miller Research.”
Father’s Footsteps
Miller Research continues providing agricultural research for universities and private agrichemical companies throughout Idaho and the Pacific Northwest under the direction of Jeff Miller.
The careers of both Terry and Jeff followed very similar trajectories.
Terry Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in botany and his master’s degree and Ph.D. in plant pathology at Utah State University. He followed that with post-doctoral study at the University of California-Berkeley and then accepted a tenure-track position with Ohio State University.
Jeff Miller basically grew up under the shadow of Miller Research. Jeff was 5 years old when Terry and Percy started Miller Research in 1975.
Jeff earned his bachelor’s degree in botany-biotechnology from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in plant pathology at Washington State University. Then, just like his father, Jeff worked in academics
Terry Miller (left) helps his son, Jeff Miller, fill tanks with an herbicide prior to applying on one of their research plots.
and in research and Extension programs, first as a plant pathologist at the University of Minnesota and then at the University of Idaho’s Aberdeen Research and Extension Center. And then in 2007, he gave up a tenure-track position with the University of Idaho to return to Miller Research and work with his father with the eventual plan for Terry to retire and Jeff to run the business.
Jeff took the helm at Miller Research when Terry attempted to retire in 2015. However, Terry found time spent in retirement unfulfilling and returned to Miller Research working four days a week helping out wherever they need an extra hand.
Jeff said that Miller Research currently conducts about 70 field trials annually. He estimates that 15 to 20 percent are academic trials for university researchers with the remaining trials conducted for ag-chemical companies.
As a for-hire private research company, the importance of its reputation among growers for unbiased data is paramount.
“You got to protect your name,” Jeff said. “I think that’s our greatest asset, is the reputation of being unbiased. You know, if we lost that, then people don’t need us. The bigger ag-chem companies, the Syngenta and Bayer, BASF
and Corteva, they really want to know. The really want to know. They never put pressure to get a certain result.”
He attributes the long-term success of Miller Research to his father’s emphasis on data-driven results.
“One thing my father drilled into me through the years is you must be unbiased when you collect the data. You cannot shade it at all based on the fact that you’re getting paid by a certain sponsor,” he said.
“I feel we have to be a little bit extra careful,” Jeff said. “We can’t make it look like we are in the back pocket of a certain company who funds a lot of our research, and through the years the growers have, I think, they’ve appreciated that about my father.”
During the past 50 years, Terry Miller has witnessed many changes in the landscape of agriculture.
“Everything has gotten bigger. Farms have gotten bigger, equipment has gotten bigger,” he said. “We used to be happy if we could get 200, 300, hundred weight per acre on potatoes; now that’s almost a crop failure. So the production has gone up. The knowledge of how to farm has gone up, as far as fertility and irrigation. All those things have evolved into more
of a science than it was before, and that’s because people are doing research all over the country on how to make things better.”
Plans in Place
With a succession plan tentatively in place, the future looks promising for Miller Research. Jeff’s son, Tim, is currently working on his Ph.D. in nematology at Louisiana State University, and Jeff said that Tim is planning on returning to work in the family business.
Currently, Miller Research is a sixperson operation, with Jeff as president, CEO and principal field investigator; Terry, founder and senior research scientist; Scott Anderson, farm manager and research design specialist; Trent Taysom, agronomist and research trial manager; Cheryn Clayton Suarez, research coordinator; and Jeff’s wife, Shaura, is the bookkeeper.
On Aug. 20, Miller Research will host its annual potato pest management field day beginning at 10 a.m. Following the tour will be lunch and cake to celebrate the company’s 50-year anniversary. Cost is $20. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.millerresearch.com or call (208) 312-4650.
An aerial photo gives a bird’s-eye view of the Miller Research facility in Rupert, Idaho.
GroupAg Grows team in idaho
redox Fills new director Position
Jared Hansen is GroupAg’s newest customer relationship representative, serving the southern Idaho region. Hansen brings extensive experience in post-harvest storage management, having worked with multiple farms across Idaho and Washington. His industry knowledge and hands-on expertise in the agriculture sector will help GroupAg better serve Twin Falls, Idaho, and surrounding communities, according to the company.
researchers Find defense
Against Zebra Chip disease
Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have developed a new approach to countering potato zebra chip disease. Their method uses spinach antimicrobial peptides, known as defensins, which naturally defend plants against a broad range of pathogens. When researchers expressed the antimicrobial peptides in potatoes, the potato plants showed minimal disease symptoms, had less diseasecausing bacteria present, showed less of the characteristic zebra chip discoloration in tubers and had greater tuber numbers compared to untreated plants.
Redox Bio-Nutrients has hired Cora Chandler as the company’s first director of product management. Chandler has been in the agricultural industry for 15 years, including the last seven years carrying out product management with a large nutrition company. Her prior work included collaborating with national supplier leads to secure product and alignment on programs, along with analyzing products and portfolios for profitability and agronomic benefits.
Kenya renamed host of 2026 world Potato Congress
The location of the 2026 World Potato Congress has changed again, returning to its originally planned location of Kenya. Plans for a Kenyan Congress were cancelled in 2024 when organizers decided more planning time was needed before hosting the event there, and the event was then slated to take place in Poland. However, the Kenya host committee addressed key areas of concern and asked the WPC board of directors to reconsider their bid to host.
The event is expected to attract over 1,000 delegates from around the world and will focus on sustainable agriculture, food security and innovative practices to enhance the potato value chain.
Plastic Packaging Manufacturers Plan Merger
IPL, a manufacturer of rigidplastic products, is planning to merge with Schoeller Allibert, a manufacturer of reusable transport packaging. The proposed merger creates an international sustainable packaging producer with a manufacturing footprint in 27 locations across North America, Europe and the United Kingdom.
IPL mainly manufactures sustainable, rigid-plastic products for the agriculture, food, consumer and environmental sectors. Schoeller Allibert manufactures returnable transport packaging, primarily in continental Europe. The merged company will be headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. The deal is expected to close this fall.
BAGGinG & PACKinG
BUyers' GUide
Chinook
equipment, inc.
chinookequipment.com
edp Potato Bagger
The newest potato bagger from edp, model EB-2218-DF, is the most accurate and highest capacity bagger built by edp Australia. This machine will accommodate most any open-mouth bag on the standard 9-inch bag holder. Most customers in the U.S. use this machine for a range of bags from 20 pounds to 50 pounds.
Also available is the ability to fill cartons or crates with the optional carton-filling attachments. Speed control of both feed belts, pneumatic bag clamps, batch counters and monitoring of weight averages are among the standard features on the EB-2218-DF.
ellips
ellips.com
Elisam-Ellips AI Potato Grader
The Elisam-Ellips AI potato grader helps maintain consistent, high-quality results regardless of crop variability, while increasing capacity and reducing manual labor.
With singulation, rotating cups and advanced cameras, the Ellips system captures a 360-degree view to accurately grade size, shape, color, weight and external quality, while internal quality technology reveals what lies beneath the surface. AI grading catches even the most challenging defects with pinpoint accuracy, ensuring consistent quality – batch after batch, season after season.
The Elisam AI grader boosts throughput, allowing users to meet every deadline without manual sorting. And with the integrated carton filling solution, users can optimize their packing process, reducing labor and ensuring faster, more efficient order fulfillment. Users can spend less time managing a workforce and more time growing the business.
Kerian Machines
kerian.com
Kerian Sizer
The Kerian Sizer is an ideal machine to gently, accurately and quickly sort potatoes by size. The Kerian Sizer is rugged, low maintenance and reliable, and it has been proven in use for reds, yellows, whites, russets, mini tubers, seed potatoes and more. Kerian’s customized takeaway conveyors will feed each size directly to the appropriate bagger/sacker/box/tote, saving customers labor costs on both grading and packing.
Kerian Machines takes pride in providing high-quality, made in the USA machines at an affordable price so that customers can see a quick return on their investment.
Lockwood Manufacturing
lockwoodmfg.com
GD-7 Sizer
Lockwood’s GD-7 Sizer allows growers to control the size up to three ranges at a time with near 100 percent accuracy. The VFD controls the speed and production flow needed. The unit includes fingertip controls for ease of operation with minimal greasing points and moving parts for less maintenance. Adjustable legs allow equipment to be stable on uneven ground. The GD-7 includes an 84-inch-wide sizing table, and varieties are sized by diameter, not length. It is easily adjustable. The moving roller design reduces bruising and skimming to help provide the best product possible.
Milestone milestone-equipment.com
Inline Sizer, AccuSizer
Milestone’s inline sizers and AccuSizers offer gentle and accurate sizing in a compact package. Standard inline sizers are available in numerous configurations and can incorporate the company’s proprietary quick adjust and sizing star for increased sizing accuracy. The AccuSizer has been many growers’ go-to for washed or peeled potatoes for over 30 years. The tried-and-true design, along with robust construction, has earned the AccuSizer a reputation of precise and low-maintenance operation.
Potato growers across North America count on Symach palletizers to deliver perfectly stacked, damage-free pallets every time. Designed for speed and gentle handling, they help reduce bruising, minimize rejections and keep packing lines running smoothly.
With nearly 50 years of experience – and roots in potato farming – Symach understands what it takes to get crops to market in top condition. Symach’s Mach Series and 3500S palletizers are built for a wide range of packaging styles, from octabins and display bins to RPCs and overlapping bags.
Compact, low-maintenance and built to grow with an operation, Symach palletizers offer add-ons like pallet wrappers and slip sheet dispensers to meet csutomers’ evolving needs.
volm Companies volmcompanies.com
Bag-to-Bin System
Volm Companies is a proud supplier of robotic palletizing solutions, including a customizable bag-to-bin system. This high-performance solution is easy to integrate and creates attractive, display-ready formats. Beyond a compact design, Volm’s bin filler includes a sleek end-of-arm tool, greater efficiency, minimal components, less maintenance and enhanced overall performance. Best of all, it does all the heavy lifting – so customers don’t have to.
CALendAr
July 15-17
Potato sustainability Alliance summer symposium
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada www.potatosustainability.org/symposium
Pacific northwest vegetable Association Conference and trade show
Three Rivers Convention Center, Kennewick, Wash.
Sheri Nolan, (509) 585-5460 or www.pnva.org
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Crimson King
COLORED VARIETIES:
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navigating tariff turbulence and identifying Access Opportunities
By Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council
The international trade landscape – particularly concerning the frequently shifting tariff environment – is undergoing significant volatility and uncertainty, creating a challenging atmosphere for the U.S. potato industry and the entire agriculture community.
In a recent “Eye on Potatoes” podcast, I sat down with international trade expert and NPC consultant Matt Lantz just hours after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of non-
situation, NPC continues to emphasize the need for a measured approach amidst the political turmoil.
impact on Key Markets: UsMCA stability a relief
When tariff increases were initially floated, a major point of concern was the potential impact on trade with Canada and Mexico, two of the largest export markets for U.S. potatoes. Disruptions here could quickly lead to product backing up and negatively affecting grower returns.
Fortunately, recent clarifications indicate that goods compliant under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
zero-duty access to these vital markets. This stability is seen as reducing the likelihood of retaliatory tariffs from these key partners.
Broader trade: threats and Opportunities
While USMCA appears stable, the broader tariff situation presents both risks and potential openings. Retaliation from other nations remains a significant concern for U.S. growers. Furthermore, tariffs are not just about exports; they can impact growers through increased costs for essential inputs. Much of the fertilizer, crop protection tools and components for sophisticated farm
aluminum used for potato storage could see price increases, adding pressure on growers’ bottom lines.
However, the current focus on trade could also create leverage for positive change. NPC sees potential opportunities to address long-standing market access issues.
Japan, for instance, has shown interest in trade talks in response to Trump’s tariff threats, which could advance the priority goal of fresh potato market access. There is also hope for reducing or eliminating tariffs in markets like Vietnam (currently 12% on fries for the U.S. vs. 0% for competitors under TPPrelated agreements) and the Philippines (10%). NPC will continue to work with the new Trump administration to find opportunities to level the playing field with our foreign trade competitors.
the vital role of trade for Potatoes
NPC has also been working with both the White House and Congress to communicate the fundamental importance of international trade for the health of the U.S. potato industry. Agriculture, particularly potatoes, has been a major beneficiary of trade agreements historically. Exports have grown significantly, contributing nearly $5 billion annually to the U.S. economy and supporting over 34,000 jobs, according to a Michigan State study commissioned by NPC. Additionally, expanded access to markets like Mexico has been crucial, especially in years with large crops, helping to stabilize prices.
Navigating this complex and shifting environment requires careful analysis, not knee-jerk reactions to headlines.
EVERY POTATO COUNTS
You want the best of both worlds. Speed to deliver maximum capacity and accurate defect detection to maintain consistent quality. Inspect the entire surface and look inside each potato to get the best out of every batch.
More info? Please contact:
NPC continues to follow this issue very carefully, looking at the facts and potential impacts specific to potatoes. The Council aims to protect the industry from negative consequences while actively seeking opportunities to advance grower interests in international markets. This industry thrives on vibrant international markets, and we are doing everything in our power to keep them vibrant for our growers and industry partners.
As the situation continues to evolve, staying informed through reliable sources like the National Potato Council will be essential for growers. Be sure to subscribe to the “Eye on Potatoes” podcast – where we post bi-weekly updates on issues impacting the growing community – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
A historical Perspective of U
The productivity gains in U.S. potato production have been impressive during the past 75 years, though there have been significant year-over-year swings in the U.S. planted area, national average yields and total production. Making projections for the 2025 potato crop has been particularly challenging due to large contract volume reductions, current market conditions, demand uncertainty, poor alternative crop prices and several other factors. In this article, we take a close look at historical U.S. potato yields, acreage and production to gain a long-term perspective on where production could be for the 2025 potato crop.
Us Potato yields
U.S. potato yields have increased by an average of 3.7 cwt per acre, per year, during the past 75 years. Yields steadily climbed from 175 cwt per acre in 1950 to a national average of 454 cwt per acre in 2024. (USDA will likely revise its 2024 yield estimate in late September.) In other words, yields have increased by 279 cwt per acre, or 159%, during the past 35 years. Though the increase in productivity has been relatively consistent, U.S. potato yields have fallen below the trendline during each of the past four years.
The 20-year trend yield for the 2025 crop is 463 cwt per acre. That is 9 cwt per acre more than the current estimate for the 2024 crop, but it is only 5 cwt per acre more than the 2023 yield and 2
cwt per acre more than the 2020 yield. Statistically, the long-term trend yield is most likely to occur; however, there are many factors that can boost yields above trend or hold them below trend.
Most growers across the U.S. have finished planting their 2025 potato crop. In the Pacific Northwest and several other major production areas, growers were able to finish planting ahead of the five-year average pace. In addition to favorable planting conditions, the weather has been nearly ideal for early
crop development. There is still a lot of time between now and the end of harvest; nevertheless, the 2025 crop has the potential to reach or exceed the longterm trend.
Us Potato Acreage
U.S. growers planted 1.005 million acres of potatoes in 1950. Potato acreage fell to a low of 778,000 acres in 1951.
The U.S. planted area peaked in 1996 at 1.228 million acres. A close look at Fig. 1 shows that U.S. potato acreage
US Annual Average Potato Yields
US Potato Acreage & Production 1950 - 2024
Acreage Production
Figure 1
Figure 2
s Potato Production
fell sharply from the high in 1996 to the modern low of 919,000 acres in 2010. Between 2010 and 2024, (excluding 2012 when growers planted 1.041 million acres) U.S. potato acreage has stayed in a 70,000-acre range, between 919,200 acres and 989,600 acres. U.S. acreage has been relatively flat since 2013. In 2024, U.S. growers planted 930,000 acres of potatoes. (USDA also will likely revise its 2024 planted area estimate in September.)
Estimating the 2025 planted area has been especially challenging. Contract volume reductions, the lack of profitable alternative crops, and investments in storage facilities, equipment and other inputs may have encouraged growers to plant more uncontracted potatoes than they normally would. However, growers may have stuck to contract volumes due to financial risk, poor open-market prices and capital constraints. USDA’s first potato acreage estimate will be available on June 30.
Us Potato Production
U.S. potato growers continue to increase overall production with fewer and fewer acres. Back in 1950, U.S. growers produced 174 million cwt of potatoes on 1.005 million acres. As Fig. 2 shows, U.S. potato production increased steadily from 1951 until it peaked at 474 million cwt in 2000. Since 2000, production has fallen by 11.4%. In 2024, U.S. potato production totaled 420 million cwt, with 930,000 acres planted. How large will the 2025 potato crop be? I’m not going to attempt to answer that question in this article. However, if yields for the 2025 crop reach the trendline yield of 463 cwt per acre, then growers would only need to harvest 908,000 acres of potatoes to produce a crop the same size as the 2024 crop. Average abandonment would suggest that the planted area would need to be approximately 914,000 acres. In other words, at the trendline yield, the 2025 planted area could drop by 16,000 acres, or 1.7%, and production would match the 2024 crop.
By Ben Eborn, Publisher,
Key POints
it’s a small world: Competing in a Global Market
By Dale Lathim, Potato Growers of Washington
Manyyears ago, when I was speaking at a grower meeting, my message was that growers needed to be just as concerned about the growers in other growing regions as they were with their neighbors. That was true then, but it is even truer today.
Part of the reason behind my statement at the time was that processors were starting to look to areas other than the Columbia Basin for future expansions. Also, the only growth that the industry was experiencing for many years was in exports, and that market was becoming more competitive, even back then.
Since that time, processors have expanded in many other growing regions of North America. But over the past decade, we have had significant production capacity increases even in the Columbia Basin. So, with the industry seeing phenomenal growth over the last 30 years and production in the Columbia Basin increasing almost 50% during that time, one would tend to believe that processors and growers here would be on top of the world. However, that is not even close to where things are today.
While the expansion we have experienced here is wonderful and welcomed, it came at the peak and then the slowing down of the expansion that was happening worldwide. While processors here were constrained for many years by the limits of their production capacity, often running each plant at well more than its engineered capacity for years on end, many other regions were adding new capacity as fast as it could be built. So, for nearly all of the previous decade, our volume of production has increased yearly up until 2020 when the pandemic hit. Unfortunately, the demand for frozen potato products grew at a faster rate than we were able to expand, and our
share of the world market went down every year.
As the industry tries to rebound from the pandemic, my message to growers has become that they need to be knowledgeable about the crop and market conditions all around the globe as the industry has become completely global. This includes processors in the Columbia Basin, all three of which have new plants in South America and Asia. In addition, China, one of our former top export customers, has now developed its own domestic potato processing industry to where it needs very little product from North America to meet its own market demands and has expanded into competing with us for our existing customers in the Pacific Rim. India is also starting to be competitive, and the European Union has only gotten more competitive as it now dominates the world market.
So, what does this mean? On the positive side, it means that the world continues to love frozen potato products, and that market is still growing. Unfortunately, due to the high cost of North American products, our share not only in the export markets, but also domestically, is starting to shrink.
Last week, my good friend Mark Ward sent me a picture of a bag of French fries sold in his local Safeway store that was labeled “product of Belgium.” I was aware that a huge portion of the retail business on the East Coast and into the central part of the country was now being supplied by a Belgian processor, but this was a shock to me that it would be happening in the Pacific Northwest as well. I had to see for myself and visited Safeway stores in several cities and found that all the family-sized bags of fries and tots that I inspected were, in fact, labeled “product of Belgium.” The reason this product is for sale here is the same as any other product in any other industry in America: it is cheaper and nearly as good as the products we make here.
There are many reasons that it is cheaper, including the high value of the
U.S. dollar, which is one factor that we can’t do anything about. But the reason that I am sure will be thrown at us when it comes to contract prices for next year is the cost of potatoes.
I will say right now that it definitely is not the cost of the potatoes. A pound of fries has only about 16 cents worth of potatoes in it. As a percentage of the cost of the fry, potatoes have never been less than they are today. Growers have trimmed all the excess out of their operations and only the most efficient have survived the challenges of the last 20 years. There is more gross profit (based on the one publicly traded company’s financial statements) per pound of fries than the cost of the potatoes to make that pound of fries.
Another piece of evidence that the price of potatoes is not the reason North American processors are struggling with sales right now is that there are multiple experienced potato processing companies looking to expand into North America to take advantage of our highquality raw product for the price. In each case, those building and those still planning to build have no stated issue with the price of the potatoes. In fact, the one under construction appears to have a potato contract that is very fair and far less risky to the grower. That means that for our processors to be able to compete, they will need to make adjustments and find ways to cut costs just like they made growers do over the past couple of decades.
The frozen potato products industry is still one of the greatest agricultural industries and it continues to grow. It has become so global that all our processors have a choice of which continent they want to supply their customers from. While this growth has created competition like no one has seen before in our industry, growers have done all that they can do to keep our processors competitive worldwide. Now it is up to our processors to do their part. If they do, we will all be successful.
