washington state potato commission

Chris Voigt, Executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission said he started this harvest season with a lot of optimism, but now he’s a bit more cautious.  Voigt said it’s not clear what impact, if any, the prolonged heat of July and August had on this year’s late season varieties, so there is some reason for concern.  But, despite those issues...

Growers in Central Washington are breathing a sigh of relief after crews were able to repair damage to a breached irrigation canal.  On Monday August 5th, the East Low Canal breached, cutting water to Columbia Basin irrigators. "You know going five, six, seven, 10-14 days without water and a potato crop would be very detrimental and once you fall behind an irrigation you just can't catch back

With a global population now just north of eight billion people, the agriculture industry will be called on more to feed people across the planet.  One of those areas that can help farmers meet those needs, said Christ Voigt, is continued research and development, not only of commodities, but of technology to make the farming process more efficient.  The Exe...

The past two years have been challenging for potato growers across the Pacific Northwest.  Last year, the growing and planting season was delayed thanks to a late spring snow storm that dumped several inches of snow in several locations.  An...

The supply chain continues to be a challenge for Americans, not only when it comes to products coming into the United States, but goods heading out.  Chris Voigt, Executive Director of the Washington state Potato Commission said they continue to struggle when it comes to getting product overseas, despite red hot demand for U.S. potato...

2021 was a challenging year for the ag industry across the Pacific Northwest, and those ramifications are still being felt.  Chris Voigt Executive Director of the Washington state Potato Commission says last year's heat dome, the extremely hot temperatures the region experienced in late June, led to a smaller crop than expected.  He...

Could there be a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel? While Chris Voigt, executive Director of the Washington state Potato Commission isn’t sure if the end of the pandemic is drawing near, he is confident that the future looks great for growers. “ ...

Thanks to the extreme heat during June, the Washington potato crop is coming up a bit short this year. Chris Voigt, Executive Director of the Washington state Potato Commission said this year’s crop is down by roughly 8% from the five-year-average. But ...

The heat of the summer, at least the most extreme temperatures, may be weeks behind us, but its impact on the Washington potato crop remains up in the air. Chris Voigt, Executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission said while he expects the heat will negatively impact yields, other impacts remain unknown ...

Despite a sense of that the end of the pandemic may be in sight, a host of challenges remain before the local potato industry. Chris Voigt, Executive Director for the Washington state Potato Commission says one of the biggest challenges is not in the field, but after the spuds are pulled during harvest ...