A P R I L 2 0 1 7 POTATO GROWER 5 Potatoes USA Annual Meeting Is Extremely Productive The Potatoes USA annual meeting was held March 13 – 16 in Denver, Colorado. The first day was dedicat- ed to training the new Board mem- bers and meeting with the represen- tatives of the state and national organizations in attendance. The next day was packed with reports from the Research, Finance, Domestic Marketing, Industry Outreach and International Marketing committees. Details from these committee meetings will be provided in future industry updates. That afternoon all Board members also went through communications and message training as part of the new Potatoes USA Ambassador pro- gram. A presentation from John Keeling of the National Potato Council helped the attendees to better understand the policy environment currently unfolding in Washington, DC. The actual Board meeting began on the 15th with the swearing in of the 20 new Board members. John Toaspern, CMO at Potatoes USA, then presented an update on the markets for U.S. potatoes in 2016. Mark Klompien the new head of the United Potato Growers of America federated co-op provided an update on the work of UPGA and their thoughts on the supply and demand balance in the U.S. potato industry. The day was capped off with an announcement from Potatoes USA CEO, Blair Richardson, of the new offensive approach for Potatoes USA that will position potatoes and pota- to products as a high-performance food. Potatoes provide the carbohy- drate, potassium and energy needed to perform at one’s best and are the perfect fuel for athletes and anyone that leads an active lifestyle. Ongoing nutrition research regard- ing the role of potatoes in an active lifestyle is in process. John Toaspern and Kim Breshears from the marketing department pro- vided a topline roadmap on how this effort will be implemented. Activities will kick off this summer under Potatoes USA’s fiscal year 18 program, but will require a long- term focus and commitment. The fulfillment of the opportunity can only be achieved through full indus- try alignment and engagement. Blair reiterated that changing peo- ple’s perceptions that potatoes are fattening to one that they are pow- erful will not happen overnight and will require serious commitment, but the Potatoes USA leadership believes it can be done and after the presentation the Board members whole heartedly agreed. The final day of annual meeting was the time for the grower leaders to provide their feedback and direction through the caucus reports from the six regions and elect the new leader- ship. Outgoing Chairman, Mike Pink, thanked everyone back home (par- ticularly his wife and daughters) who supported him and allowed him to fulfill his duties this past year, as well as his executive com- mittee and the staff for their support and guidance. Mike is very proud of the further evolution of the Potatoes USA programs that occurred during under his leadership. The members then elected John Halverson from the northcentral region as the new Chairman along with the following Executive Committee Members; David Tonso (southcentral), Jason Davenport (southwest), Marty Meyers, Doug Poe, Jerry Tominaga & Dan Moss (northwest), Jay LaJoie (northeast), Phil Hickman (south- east) and Steve Gangwish (north- central).