May/June 2019 - 32

Remember when we sat on the porch and talked?
There is an adage
NATIONAL
POTATO
COUNCIL
John Keeling
Vice President
& CEO
that says: " There are
two things a person
never wants to see
and that is their
sausage or their laws
being made. "
For those with
a trained eye or to
the average citizen
our government in
Washington, D.C.
seems unable to
effectively address
the significant issues facing our country
in an effective way. This is not pointing a
finger at any one branch of government
or any single political party. Collectively,
our government is not demonstrating the
ability to identify solutions that just might
make our country a safer, better and more
prosperous country.
There is no single reason for all this,
but the strong polarization that exists
throughout the country and that festers
in Washington, D.C. is at the heart of all
this. We must take steps to make our
government work better for all of us, but
that means we also must look at the
divisions that are perpetuated by our own
patterns and actions.
Perhaps, we all have become a little
isolated and siloed.
INDUSTRY NEWS
NEW VARIETY OF ZEBRA CHIP DISEASE DISCOVERED IN OREGON CHIPPING POTATOES
A previously unknown variety of
zebra chip disease has been discovered
in Oregon.
In December 2017, chipping potato
tubers that originated in the Klamath
Basin were suspected to be infected
with zebra chip (Candidatus Liberibacter
solanacearum). They were sent to the
USDA-ARS Temperate Tree Fruit and
Vegetable Research Unit in Prosser,
Washington.
Analysis showed the presence of a
zebra chip gene haplotype in one of
the tubers that did not match the six
known haplotypes of the pathogen.
That haplotype, designated haplotype F,
32
Spudman.com
is now the third that has shown to infect
potatoes with zebra chip. The others are
A and B.
In addition, this is the first time zebra
chip has been found in the Klamath Basin.
Currently, the only method of preventing
the spread of zebra chip is by targeting
the psyllids with chemicals. Because
the positive tuber sample had already
been processed and shipped, the insect
vector could not be identified, nor was
symptomatic foliage available to allow for
further studies. So, it's unknown if the
same psyllids spread haplotype F as A
and B.
Further research is required to
to spread zebra chip in potatoes -
Bactericera cockerelli - also infests
tomatoes and peppers. It has been found
in the central and western U.S., Mexico,
Central America and New Zealand.
Zebra chip also has been found in
carrots and other commercial crops in
Europe and Africa.
This information is based on the
research paper, " Identification of a New
Haplotype of 'Candidatus Liberibacter
solanacearum' in Solanum tuberosum " by
K.D. Swisher Grimm and S.F. Garczynski.
determine that and other effects haplotype
F could have on potatoes.
The psyllid that has been identified
The Promiseland Project is an effort
initiated by Roy Spence, a speaker at the
Potato Expo 2019, to get Americans talking
and listening to each other in a more real
and connected way. In the next several
years, The Promiseland Project will take
an actual front porch to all 50 states and
put local folks on that porch to tell their
stories and listen to the stories of others.
Roy calls it putting the " us " back in USA.
Look at The Promiseland Project website
(www.thepromisedlandproject.com), it is an
inspired first step in reconnecting us with
our neighbors.
With respect to getting our government
to get back to the business of addressing
national issues, there are real opportunities
to produce results. But the public - and
agriculture particularly - must send a
strong and consistent message to our
elected leaders. We must tell our elected
representatives we value solutions more
than we value constant finger waging. We
must encourage and support elected officials
who work across the aisle on important
legislation, not just when naming a post
office. As both major parties have moved
further into their respective ideological
corners, reaching meaningful compromise
has become the proverbial unicorn.
The good news is that there are two
issues where a real bipartisan effort could
yield big results.
BIPARTISAN
INFRASTRUCTURE BILL
This really should be a no brainer for the
administration and Congress. There will
be differences on their approach to both
funding and targeting of improvements.
In the end reasonable people should be
able to agree on the need to improve our
aging system of road, bridges and ports
and even perhaps on some bike trails for
urban dwellers, along with improved broad
band for our rural friends. Virtually all the
elected officials in D.C. have raised the
infrastructure issue. Now it is time to get
to work.
IMMIGRATION
There are issues including improving
border security, resolving the status of the
Dreamers, providing adequate agriculture
labor and reforming overall immigration
policy that are not equally important to
every key player but as a package create
the opportunity for a grand deal.
So, over the next several months, take
the opportunity to try to communicate with
the administration and your members of
Congress about the opportunity to find
some middle ground and do something
important on these and other issues.
Perhaps in some small way, we can put " the
porch " back in our conversations so that
real progress is possible.
http://www.thepromisedlandproject.com http://www.Spudman.com
May/June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2019
