chris voigt

When farm economies struggle, food banks feel it too. Washington's ranking at the bottom of national farm viability charts is worth paying attention to.

Washington State potato growers were counting on a trade deal with Japan to open fresh potato access — it didn't happen, but the state's Potato Commission says other markets are still in play.

For years, Washington potato growers had more overseas demand than they could handle. That has changed, with exports dropping around 10 percent as China and India become serious competitors in the same markets.

The Washington-Oregon Potato Conference drew 3,001 attendees, showcasing the vibrant potato industry with valuable networking and education opportunities for local farmers and vendors.

Sustainability is of growing importance for consumers and companies, meaning highlighting the successes in the farming community is becoming more and more important.

The past couple of seasons have been challenging for the local potato industry, but not because of poor crop yields or bad weather.

The potato industry has struggled the past couple of years with lighter consumer demand, resulting in some contracts being reduced or terminated all together. Is that going to be an issue in 2025 and into the future?

Farmers are typically an optimistic bunch, but unfortunately, many things that control their success or failure are beyond their control.  For example, the health of the U.S. and foreign economies has a direct impact on what farmers can do year in and year out.  Chris V...

There are still many questions about the DOGE cuts put forward by the Administration, but one thing is for certain; the local potato industry is already feeling the impact.   Chris Voigt, Executive Director of the Washington state Potato Commission, said the federal cuts weren’t surgical, and it appears there wasn’t much thought behind the decisions made.  Voigt said the...

Tariffs can have short-term and long-term impacts on the agriculture industry.  The short-term may mean higher fertilizer prices, or fewer exports markets for a season or two.  The long-term impacts can change the make-up of the global market.  No where is that ...