April 2020 - 6

TAKING STOCK
EDITOR'S LETTER
Office 616-887-9008
ORGANIC FOCUS
When I started at Spudman 18 months ago, one of the things I was
curious about was what conventional potato growers think of their
organic counterparts.
Organic food sales topped $50 billion in the
Zeke Jennings
Managing Editor
U.S. in 2018, according to the Organic Trade
Association. About 15% of total produce sales
were organic. Although rising in market share,
organic fresh potato sales were well behind that,
however, at 4.2%, according to Potatoes USA data.
Why that is would make a great poll for
consumers, although there are a number of
theories. For folks who are of the opinion that " organic " means safer,
perhaps the presence of a kill step before consumption makes organic
potatoes less of a priority than produce typically eaten raw. I've also
come across theories on organic potato products not being available
on a consistent basis, as well as that organic produce has not been
displayed or marketed effectively by stores.
Whatever the reason(s) may be, numbers do show that organic
spuds are slowly - but steadily - accounting for larger part of the
fresh potato market.
Back to my original thought, what do commercial conventional
growers think about organic farming?
I've bounced the question off people from time to time while chatting
off the record, and the responses have been pretty laissez-faire.
Remarks have typically gone something like this (and I'm
paraphrasing here):
* It's still a niche market.
* If someone wants to grow organic, that's great.
* To grow the amount of food the world needs, we have to use
conventional farming tools too.
Some traditional potato farmers have added organic in recent years,
particularly near the West Coast, where demand for organic produce
is highest. Others, like Nature's Circle in Maine - which is featured
in our story on the organic potato industry on Page 8 - only grow
organically and always have. Meg York of Nature's Circle told me that
conventional growers have expressed concern over the years about
how the lack of crop protection chemicals might lead to an increase
in pests and diseases. That will be something to keep an eye on in the
future. (If you have any thoughts to share, feel free to contact me by
email or phone.)
Whether you go traditionally or organically, farmers in the north
are about to start planting seed.
We hope you have a great season!
6
Spudman.com
Managing Editor Zeke Jennings, 616-520-2159
zjennings@greatamericanpublish.com
Contributing Editors Gary Pullano, 616-520-2144
Stephen Kloosterman, 616-520-2152
Multimedia Designer Greg Ryan, 616-520-2145
spudproduction@spudman.com
Production Assistant Samantha Orsi, 616-520-2148
sorsi@greatamericanpublish.com
Editorial Board
Randy Hardy, Oakley Farms, Oakley, Idaho
Don Sklarczyk, Sklarczyk Seed Farms, Johannesburg, Mich.
Harry Strohauer, Strohauer Farms, La Salle, Colo.
Robert Thornton, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.
Integrated Marketing Andrea Schafer, 616-520-2139
Consultant spudmanads@spudman.com
Editorial Director Tim Hodson, 616-520-2161
thodson@greatamericanpublish.com
Creative Director Kristina Howell, 616-520-2168
khowell@greatamericanpublish.com
Group Marketing Director Melissa Gray, 616-520-2153
mgray@greatamericanpublish.com
Custom Content Manager Jess Schmidt, 616-520-2141
jschmidt@greatamericanpublish.com
Circulation Becky Stovall, 616-520-2138
circulation@spudman.com
Vice President/Group Gerry Bogdon
Publisher gbogdon@greatamericanpublish.com
CFO & Director of Deb Carnes, 616-520-2169
Human Resources dcarnes@greatamericanpublish.com
COO & Director of Kimberly Baker
Custom Media kbaker@greatamericanpublish.com
CEO Matt McCallum
publisher@spudman.com
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April 2020

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