Mainers gain insight at annual ‘POTATO EXPO’

By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
    LAS VEGAS – Casinos, bright lights and lavish stage productions are what many people picture when they think of Las Vegas; however, for a group of Mainers who recently visited Sin City, they were thinking potatoes.
    POTATO EXPO 2011, the largest conference and trade show for the North American potato industry, was held Jan. 5-7 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel in Las Vegas. More than 1,400 people attended the third annual potato industry wide meeting, while over 110 companies filled the trade show with booths and displays showcasing cutting-edge products representing the entire spectrum of inputs and innovations for producing potatoes in 2011.
    Tim Hobbs, director of development and grower relations for the Maine Potato Board, was one of the members of the Maine contingent who attended the event.
    “There were a lot of things going on out there; there was the POTATO EXPO, the National Potato Council’s annual meeting, the United States Potato Board had meetings during the same week, as well as meetings of companies like McCain and Frito Lay,” he said. “There were all kinds of reasons for growers to go.
    “The reason I go is the Maine Potato Board has a booth at the Expo, which is a three-day show featuring potato-related industries from around the country,” Hobbs said. “That was the first half of the week, and the last two days we were there attending the NPC’s annual meeting.”
    The Maine Potato Board booth was well received.
    “We promoted the Maine Seed Potato Board as a seed facility here in Maine, and as part of that, we distribute seed catalogs which lists Maine growers and varieties of potato seed,” said Hobbs. “Seed growers from North America come and want to know what’s available, pick up a catalog, and ask questions. Maine is really the only seed area that was represented, so we do very well at expos like that. It’s important that we go to these events.”
    Brent Buck of Mapleton made the trip west to attend the NPC annual meeting.
    “I represent Maine on the NPC board of directors,” he said. “The NPC is the political arm of the potato industry. We work with legislative issues; the issues of tariff, disease management and things like that. I spent one afternoon in Las Vegas discussing disease management.
    “What we’re attempting to do is get all of our programs in synch; get everyone from Maine to Washington reading from the same cue cards. It’s been an ongoing process to try to line up all of our programs, but it will be worth it,” Buck said. “The NPC is where people turn to have one voice and as a delegate, our purpose is to make sure that the Maine industry is being represented when issues arise. You go out there with a Maine hat on but then – at a moment’s notice – you’ve got to be able to turn that hat sideways and have a national hat on to look out for the industry as a whole.”
    Noting that the POTATO EXPO will be back in Las Vegas at Caesar’s Palace in a couple of years, Buck said he’s hopeful that his wife, Felicia, will be able to join him.
    “Maybe we’ll take in a show,” he said. “The previous time I was out there I went to the Hoover Dam which I found very enjoyable.”
    This year’s POTATO EXPO featured an informative schedule of speakers who addressed a variety of topics. General session speakers were Informa Economics, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Bruce Scherr, Virginia Tech Professor Emeritus Dave Kohl, PepsiCo International European Division Agricultural Development Director Ian Hope-Johnstone and McCain Foods Great Britain Marketing Vice President Helen Priestley.
    McCain Foods North/South America Regional Chief Executive Officer Frank van Schaayk unveiled the newly formed Alliance for Potato Education and Research (APRE) whose mission is to unite the potato industry in a quest to educate consumers and others about potato and French fries as a nutritious, enjoyable part of a healthy and balanced diet. Detailed sessions and breakout meetings for the chipping, fresh, process and seed industry sectors were also held to address the most important subjects to each group.
    NFL legend Terry Bradshaw was the POTATO EXPO 2011 keynote speaker. He amused the attendees as he humorously related his experiences as a Football Hall of Fame quarterback and two-time Super Bowl MVP, and drew parallels and lessons pertinent to the potato industry, while Fox News contributor Tucker Carlson discussed today’s political climate with candid, up-to-the-moment insights on national and political events through the eyes of an experienced newsman and commentator.
    Washburn’s Mark Tarr was excited to meet the NFL Hall of Famer.
    “I actually got his autograph. I had an old football card and I took it and got him to sign it,” he said. “What a personable guy; he is genuine. He was supposed to be there for an hour addressing the growers, but he stayed there for another hour afterward talking to everyone and signing autographs.”
    This was Tarr’s second POTATO EXPO.
    “Last year I was pleasantly surprised to see how many different growers that I sell to actually went to that event,” he said. “It’s a good way to make contact with several people on one trip. I’m a seed grower, so I attended the seed meetings and the different breakout sessions. A lot of this is informational gathering for the seed sector … find out what other states and regions are doing in the seed industry and it’s all very useful. Information is a very valuable tool.”
    While in Las Vegas, Tarr, who is the treasurer of the Maine Potato Board, and his wife, Deborah, took in many sights and sounds including Hoover Dam. They ended up staying longer and made it a vacation.
    “I had never been to Las Vegas before,” he said. “The first time is like going to Disney … all the lights and the excitement. Those are pretty impressive buildings. On Fremont Street, there’s a canopy that’s 750-feet long and it has computerized lights and scenes on the canopy. That was neat to look at.”
    “We also saw the Grand Canyon, and went over into California and just below Bakersfield – in Arvin – they were planting potatoes there, and we went down the road four miles and they were harvesting them,” said Tarr. “We couldn’t get away from potatoes.”
    The POTATO EXPO 2011 brought together producers and potato industry professionals from North America and internationally from Belgium, Brazil, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
    Next year’s expo will be held Jan. 4-6, 2012 at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort near Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. For more information about POTATO EXPO, log onto www.potato-expo.com.