February 2022 - 33

The NPC wants YOU in D.C.
U.S. potato
NATIONAL
POTATO
COUNCIL
Kam Quarles
Chief Executive
Officer
growers and industry
partners from around
the country are invited
to the nation's capital
for the National
Potato Council's (NPC)
new Washington
Summit, Feb. 28 to
March 3, 2022, to
help us fulfill our
mission of " Standing
Up for Potatoes on
Capitol Hill. "
After last year's virtual meeting, we are
excited to get the industry back together
in person for a new event that combines
the NPC annual meeting and the industry's
grassroots lobbying event, previously known
as the Potato D.C. Fly-In. We hope this
broader singular meeting will welcome more
grower leaders and industry supporters
who are interested in discussing, defining,
and advocating for their businesses and
protecting their ability to farm.
Despite the COVID-inflicted challenges,
the 2021 event saw the broadest
participation in the history of the meeting.
Attendees had the opportunity to hear
directly from industry champions Sen.
Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Jim Risch
(R-Idaho), as well as key staff members from
the Senate Agriculture Committee.
INDUSTRY NEWS
LOCKWOOD ANNOUNCES
PERSONNEL MOVES
Potato equipment producer Lockwood
Manufacturing announced a pair of
personnel changes in January.
Jim Balstad is now Lockwood's business
unit director, while Jared Fessenden takes over
as a parts and service manager for Idaho.
Balstad has nearly 30 years of experience
in the agriculture machinery industry. Prior to
joining Lockwood, he was vice president of
sales and marketing for Lemken USA.
Fessenden will manage parts and
service for Lockwood's Idaho locations
in Paul and Blackfoot. Prior to joining
Lockwood, Fessenden was the manager
of a 25,000-acre corporate farm in Paul,
where he focused on potato production and
processing.
Spudman * February 2022
33
Attendees also joined their state potato
organizations for virtual visits with 46 members
of Congress to communicate the industry's
policy priorities, including: aggressively
pursuing trade opportunities; investing in
potato science and research; promoting
agriculture transportation efficiencies; and
supporting ag labor reform.
In 2022, we are excited to continue the
momentum we built last February to promote
policies that will improve the competitiveness
of U.S. growers and enhance the ability for
potato-related businesses to thrive.
Attendees joining us in Washington,
D.C. will get a chance to hear directly from
Beltway insiders who can provide us insight
on the current legislative and regulatory
climates. This year - as things set up for
a likely power-shifting midterm elections -
will be particularly important for growers to
gain a better understanding of the political
environment in which legislators and
advocacy groups like ours will be operating.
While NPC and the state potato
organization are always looking out for
the best policy interests of our industry,
growers themselves are, by far, the best
advocates for this great industry. The NPC
Washington Summit is an annual opportunity
to demonstrate the breadth and depth of
this industry, and we need growers and allied
industry partners from across the country to
demonstrate the real strength of this industry.
As always, the event will be strengthened
by participants from the Potato Industry
Leadership Institute (PILI) - an annual
program organized by the Potato Leadership,
Education, and Advancement Foundation
(Potato LEAF). After taking a year off due to
the pandemic, the 2022 Leadership Institute
class will participate in a 10-day program -
starting in California and ending in D.C.,
where they'll receive an overview of the local
and national potato industry, learn leadership
development skills, and support the
advocacy efforts of the industry. Learn more
about the program and the foundation's
efforts to train the next generation of potato
industry leaders at pleaf.org.
You can sign up to join us at the 2022
NPC Washington Summit by visiting Visit
nationalpotatocouncil.org. There's strength
in numbers, so please consider lending your
voice to our efforts to Stand Up for Potatoes
on Capitol Hill.
We hope to see you in D.C.!
http://www.pleaf.org http://www.nationalpotatocouncil.org
February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2022
