A P R I L 2 0 1 8 28 POTATO GROWER People, Product News We thank everyone who has com- pleted their Census to date. North Dakota currently has a return rate of just over 46 percent of the Census questionnaires mailed to producers last December," said Darin Jantzi, North Dakota State Statistician. "A lot is at stake if producers are not represented in this data. Census data have and will continue to influence important decisions for American agriculture. The data will affect every operation and every farming community at some point, whether it be through farm policy, disaster relief, insurance or loan pro- grams, infrastructure improve- ments, or agribusiness setup. There is accuracy and strength in num- bers, which is why NASS is commit- ted to giving producers every oppor- tunity to respond." Federal law mandates that everyone who received the 2017 Census of Agriculture questionnaire complete it and return it even if not currently farming. NASS will continue to fol- low-up with producers through the spring with mailings, phone calls, and personal visits. To avoid these additional contacts, farmers and ranchers are encouraged to com- plete their Census either online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail as soon as possible. Responding online saves time by skipping sections that do not apply and automatically cal- culating totals. The online question- naire is accessible on desktops, lap- tops, and mobile devices. For more information about the 2017 Census of Agriculture, visit agcensus.usda.gov. For questions or assistance filling out the Census, call toll-free (888) 424-7828. Spending Bill Enhances Potato Research Funds The Senate took the final Congressional action in passing a full-year FY18 spending bill. This followed the House's narrow passage of the measure on Thursday after- noon. The President signed it this afternoon, despite an earlier veto threat due to his concerns over the level of spending for the border wall and DACA. "We're very pleased that Congress has been able to put together a final package and it met the President's approval. For our industry, we sin- cerely appreciate the additional resources that were provided for the NIFA potato breeding research pro- gram. It has been raised to $2.5 mil- lion, the highest level in history," said John Keeling, NPC CEO. The NIFA potato breeding research program has increased from $1.15 million in 2013 to $2.5 million this year, an increase of 117% over that time. It is a multi-state competitive grant program that provides vital resources to fund research on new potato varieties. The spending bill also includes a fix to the Section 199 tax provision that was changed in December's tax bill. That fix largely reverts to the origi- nal benefits of Section 199 that had been in place for over a decade. Additionally, Congress prohibited the imposition of the ELD mandate on livestock truckers until the end of September. Potatoes USA Expands Athletic Performance Footprint With ACTIVE.com Partnership In January, Potatoes USA launched a partnership with ACTIVE.com to expand its digital footprint for performance-specific messaging. ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations, ranging from 5k run- ning races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. The site also makes it easy for people to learn and prepare for training with expert resources, performance plans and fitness calculators. As part of the partnership, Potatoes USA has consistent digital ads on ACTIVE's Nutrition and Running- focused online articles. The ads have generated over 670 visits to PotatoGoodness.com. The cam- paign also includes communica- tions with ACTIVE's 1.7 million email newsletter subscribers and social media followers, as well as access to their greater network of athletic performance influencers such as Run Eat Repeat, to serve up performance recipe ideas and share potato nutrition information.