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March 2005

The Future of Precision Ag
Farm management from the Internet? Seems like a scene from the future. The fact is, it’s already reality, and it will get even better in the years ahead.

Francis J. Pierce, director for the Center for Precision Agriculture Systems in Prosser, Wash., is giddy just thinking about it. If his energy is indicative of what’s to come, potato growers are in for a promising future with regards to technology.

“There’s a lot of things happening,” he said. He’s not kidding. GPS in your hand, sensors that can measure just about anything—you name it, it’s being thought up and developed.

Precision ag first took form in the mid-1980s. Pierce caught wind of it as a soil scientist at Michigan State University and was later hired to his current position in 2000. The Center for Precision Agricultural Systems (CPAS) has been in operation since 1999 and was funded by the Washington state legislature as part of the Washington State University Advanced Technology Initiative.

Prepare for Tuber Moth in 2005
Everyone in the potato industry in Washington and Oregon should be thinking about potato tuber moth as we enter the 2005 season. This pest should concern you as much as late blight did in the mid 1990s. Tuber moth damage left unchecked can reduce the value of a potato field more drastically than any other pest. We will be conducting extensive research trials this season to gather more information for 2006.

Description and Damage
Tuber moth caterpillars are about one-half inch long when full grown, and they have a pale body with a dark brown to black head. Adult moths are narrow, about one-fourth inch long, light brown, with various darker spots on the wings. See the potato commission Web site for pictures of the larva and adult: www.potatoes.com/Research.cfm.

Washington and Northern Oregon Growers to Form Co-op
Following the lead of Idaho and other states, potato growers in Washington and northern Oregon are in the process of combining to form the United Fresh Potato Growers of Washington and Oregon Inc. Once established, the group plans to join the United Potato Growers of America Inc., when this group is formed.

“Our main goal as a co-op is supply and communications. We’re trying to control supply so we don’t have oversupply. Also, we want to furnish our growers with better information about what is being planted so they can make better business decisions,” said Allen Floyd, new United Fresh Potato Growers of Washington and Oregon president.

Interested growers around Washington and northern Oregon have already attended several meetings in preparation for the group’s formation, and membership forms have been coming in, according to Floyd. Washington and northern Oregon group members hope that working together will give them a strong voice to change the depressed potato market for the better.

Processing Clusters in the Northwest?
What will be important in the years ahead is one answer many wish would appear on their magic crystal ball. In the future, Northwest potato growers should be focusing on a few key issues to stay ahead of the game. Industry experts gave their views on what those issues were at the 38th Annual Oregon Potato Conference Jan. 27-28 in Portland, Ore.

“We only have so many dollars to go after our problems. We have to decide what to do,” said Dave Zepponi, of the Northwest Food Processors Association (NWFPA). The NWFPA, headquartered in Portland, represents 486 member food processors in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Conference Attendance Numbers Were Up
The facilities were new, the program was well put together and the crowds were there for the 44th Washington State Potato Conference, held Feb. 1-3 at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake. Records show 2,080 attended, up 301 from the year before.

For the first time ever, conference educational presentations were held at the Grant County Applied Technology Education Center, or ATEC, for short. The multi-million dollar facility only recently opened its doors and is a welcome addition to both the college and Moses Lake community.

Pelter Retires from Years of Service in the Potato Industry
Gary Pelter, Grant/Adams area extension agent and advocate for the potato industry, has been honored with the 2005 Industry Leadership Award. It was presented during the Washington State Potato Foundation Leadership Banquet held Feb. 2 in Moses Lake, Wash. Pelter retired March 1.

Pelter was selected based on demonstrated leadership capabilities and contributions to the potato industry.

With over 20 years as an agent, Pelter has played a leadership role in the industry, actively participating in the Washington State Potato Conference and Seed Lot Field Day, among numerous other organizations and functions. He is well-known by both growers and scientists and will be missed by all.

Along with the honor, a scholarship has been set up on behalf of Pelter’s work. The Gary Q. Pelter Leadership Award will be available for a college student for the 2005-2006 school year.

WP&OA/WPSCA Meeting Highlights
If you are growing potatoes, onions, apples and a number of other commodities, look for your inspection fees to go up later this year.

Jim Quigley, manager of the Washington State Department of Agriculture Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Program, sounded the alarm during the Washington Potato and Onion Association (WP&OA)/Washington Perishable Shippers Cooperative Association (WPSCA) meeting held Feb. 1 in Moses Lake.