Latest News from the IPC

USDA Calculates Idaho Potato Crop Value Grew 22.7% to $1.2B

Eagle ID (March 2018)— Idaho, the United State’s top producing potato state since 1957, reached a new crop high in 2017. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the preliminary estimated value for the Idaho® Potato crop is $1.2 billion, a 22.7% leap from the previous year. Harvested acreage was down 5% and yields were down 1.2%.

Idaho Potato Commission Signs On As a Presenting Sponsor for Five More Years

Boise, ID, December 28, 2017 – From the moment the Wyoming Cowboys mascot, Cowboy Joe (a young pony with a big spirit) trotted onto the blue field at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, it was “game on.” The Wyoming Cowboys, representing the Mountain West Conference, defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas from the Mid-American Conference 37-14 in the country’s premier cold-weather college bowl game with close to two million fans around the country watching it live on ESPN.

Idaho Dehy Products Sampled at Mexico Expo
Field Days: IPC Reverse Trade Mission Hosts Global Visitors

Entrants Will Also Compete for $150,000+ in Cash and Prizes

EAGLE, ID, November 15, 2017 –The scenic slopes of Sun Valley, Idaho will provide the perfect vacation setting for one lucky entrant in the Idaho Potato Commission’s 2018 retail display contest.

The Idaho-bound vacation winner, to be selected in a random drawing among all contest participants, will enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip for two to spectacular Sun Valley, ID, including four nights and five days at the Sun Valley Lodge, meals and taxes, plus $500 in Sun Valley gift cards—an approximate total retail value of $6,200. And thanks to the Category Manager Match Program, the winner’s category manager will also be heading to the all-season resort packed with ski and hiking trails, dining and shopping destinations, and a wealth of indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities.

2018 Tour Details To Be Announced in January

EAGLE, ID, November 14, 2017 — What started as a one-year tour to celebrate the Idaho Potato Commission's (IPC) 75th anniversary has turned into the biggest (both literally and figuratively) marketing campaign in the IPC's history. Since 2012 the Big Idaho® Potato Truck has been traveling the country's highways and byways promoting America's favorite vegetable. 

EAGLE, ID, October 16, 2017 — The Idaho Potato Commission has added the new Idaho® Potato Black & White Cookie recipe to its lineup of festive holiday treats.

EAGLE, ID, October 3, 2017 — The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) launched its new television commercial during the Boise State University (BSU) vs University of Virginia (UVA) football game that aired live from Albertson's Stadium in Boise, Idaho late September. As a long-standing Bronco sponsor, this marquee game presented an ideal opportunity to unveil the seventh installment of the IPC's "Missing" commercial featuring the Big Idaho® Potato Truck, Farmer Mark and his ever-faithful hound.

First Female Grower is Appointed

EAGLE, ID, September 18, 2017 – At the 2017 Idaho Grower Shippers Association meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) announced the appointment of Mary Hasenoehrl of Gross Farms, the first female to represent potato growers. Randy Hardy of Hardy Farms and Nick Blanksma of Legacy Farms were also sworn in to serve second three-year terms.

Original Source: Tom Karst, thepacker.com

Japan is lifting it 11-year old ban on Idaho fresh chipping potatoes.

Access was revoked in 2006 soon after the Japanese market opened for the first time for U.S. potatoes when the pale potato cyst nematode was found in Idaho.

Japantoday.com reported Sept. 13 that the government of Japan opened the doors for fresh imports from Idaho for the first time since 2006, with Japanese officials citing reduced pest risks associated with the pale potato cyst nematode.

Original Source: potatogrower.com

In an announcement on its website, the Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture formally approved U.S. seed and fresh potatoes for importation as of Aug. 21, 2017. U.S. potatoes are the first U.S.-origin horticulture product to be approved under Myanmar’s pest risk assessment (PRA) requirement, which came into effect on Jan. 1. Potatoes USA experts prepared the potato pest documentation for USDA submission to Myanmar to accelerate the process.