5/10/2013 12:00:00 AM
The National Potato Council's annual scholarship for a graduate student pursuing potato research has been doubled to $10,000, the organization recently announced. The deadline for submitting applications is June 14, and the winner will be announced in August. NPC has awarded research scholarships since 1998. The winner is chosen based on academic achievement, leadership abilities and the potential commercial value of the applicant's academic work. Application forms are available through a link to www.nationalpotatocouncil.org.
Click here to read the complete article
|
5/10/2013 12:00:00 AM
The United States Private Voluntary Organization (PVO) International Partnership for Human Development (IPHD) purchased five containers of U.S. seed potatoes for planting on large tracts of land in the Republic of the Congo. This land was donated by the government to IPHD for the introduction of mechanized agriculture in this central African nation.
Click here to read the complete article
|
5/10/2013 12:00:00 AM
The Plant Pathology Department at North Dakota State University will again be providing the potato Blightline service at no charge to the potato industry of North Dakota and western Minnesota in 2013. Even though late blight was not prevalent in 2012 in our area, some late blight was found late in the season, and there is a chance that late blight will be present in 2013 if conditions are favorable.
Click here to read the complete article
|
5/7/2013 12:00:00 AM
Jim Ehrlich, executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee based in Monte Vista, CO, said in early April that that low market prices and water restrictions will result in fewer potato acres in the San Luis Valley this year. Water has become the largest issue farmers in the Centennial State face, but Mr. Ehrlich said growers in the region are looking at drip irrigation as an alternative to the traditional center pivot. Two entities, Farm Fresh Direct America in Monte Vista and Skyline Potato Co. in Center, are participating in a demo of the irrigation method, he said.
Click here to read the complete article
|
5/7/2013 12:00:00 AM
Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Company has sent a petition to U.S. authorities calling for the nonregulated status of a genetically modified potato line. Innate™ potatoes have been genetically engineered for low acrylamide potential and reduced black spot bruising. The petition states that these potatoes are unlikely to pose a plant pest risk and, therefore, should not be a regulated article under APHIS' regulations in 7 CFR part 340.
Click here to read the complete article
|
5/7/2013 12:00:00 AM
Wisconsin is one of 12 states participating in a new state/federal initiative, the State National Harmonization Program (SNHP), which should make it easier for this state's seed potato growers to move their product into international markets by assuring trading partners of pest and disease-free status. "Harmonization" refers to a common set of baseline standards to assure international buyers are getting seed potatoes that are free of pests and diseases, rather than a patchwork of regulation that varies from state to state. Under the old system, each state had to negotiate market access based on its own standards.
Click here to read the complete article
|
4/25/2013 12:00:00 AM
Purdue University nutrition researcher Berdine Martin sees potential for potassium to be the next "really hot" nutrient emphasized in food science. That would be good news for potato farmers, who produce a crop high in both vitamin C and potassium. Martin is assisting in potato research that she believes will provide the first data on the health benefits of potassium derived from a food source, rather than a vitamin supplement. The study, led by her department head Connie Weaver, is funded by the Alliance for Potato Research and Education, which promotes research on the health benefits of potatoes and french fries.
Click here to read the complete article
|
4/25/2013 12:00:00 AM
As of April 1, 2013, fresh potatoes from the state of Colorado were approved for shipment to Taiwan. This approval by the Council of Agriculture in Taiwan comes after a number of years of effort by the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee (CPAC), the National Potato Council (NPC), the United States Potato Board (USPB) and the work of Bryant Christie, Inc. (BCI) and USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The work by BCI was funded by the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Initiative, which is funded in large part by the USPB, but also from the State Potato Organizations and NPC. A visit by Taiwanese officials to Colorado was paid for in part by a USDA Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) grant received by the USPB from FAS. In 2012 the US exported 17,678 metric tons (389,729 cwt) of fresh potatoes (table-stock and chip-stock) to Taiwan. At $8 million it is the fifth largest market for fresh potatoes.
Click here to read the complete article
|
4/25/2013 12:00:00 AM
If you gave me $1, and I gave you $6.51 back, would you be happy? Of course you would! As it turns out, the latest Econometric Study, conducted by Dr. Timothy Richards from Arizona State University, and Dr. Harry Kaiser from Cornell University, reveals this high return on potato grower assessment dollars invested in United States Potato Board (USPB) marketing activities. This study covers the USPB marketing years of 2007-2011, and is a USDA mandated program assessment every five years. To set the stage for these results, an ROI (return on investment) to any program that is greater than the cost of capital (approximately 0.07 or a 7% ROI) can be expected to increase grower welfare relative to other uses of capital. The overall USPB rate of return is 551.2% in the long run (more important metric) and 416.7% in the short run. Either way you look at it, the USPB programming is an extremely solid investment for U.S. potato growers' money.
Click here to read the complete article
|
3/28/2013 12:00:00 AM
Potato planting in northwest Texas will begin in about a month, but now is the time to look for the potato psyllid, a growing problem to the industry, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research study. The potato psyllid can be a problem for more than just the potato plant, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists. And it is not only the commercial potato grower who should be scouting, the researchers said. Dr. Arash Rashed, AgriLife Research postdoctoral research scientist, and Dr. Charlie Rush, AgriLife Research plant pathologist in Amarillo, are monitoring the year-round existence of potato psyllids across the state as a project of the Zebra Chip Specialty Crop Research Initiative. The initiative is led by Rush and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Click here to read the complete article
|