b'Commission is established.1969 WesternPotatobuystheGrandForksFrozenProcessingProducts Company plant and expandsit.1971 PresidentRichardNixonsignsthePotatoResearchandPromotion Act. 1973Lloyd Schmidt is appointedtheassociationsfourthExecutiveSecretary replacing Cliff Hagen.1975-76 WesternPotatogoesbankrupt and a group of growers formaco-opcalledtheInternationalCooperative, Inc. and buy the plant. The association offices have been in the same building in East Grand Forks,1977 DuaneSargePreston Minnesota for all 75 years.replacesEdPlissyasAreaExtension responds to the farm credit crisis sign- CynthiaHaskinsasRRVPGAAgent for Potatoes, Plissey served 19 ing into law the Agriculture Credit Act President.years. of1987.Itprovidesfundstoag 2002 KrisSobolikfromHoople, 1977A two-story addition is added lenders to bolster their financial sta- ND becomes the first Chairwoman ofto the back of the RRVPGA office to bility. the Board.house the Potato Extension office and1994NDSU Potato Breeder Dr. Bob2002The Red River Valley Potatoa large board room.It is funded by Johansen retires.Growers Association changes its namethe Potato Associates organization. 1995 LloydSchmidtleaveshis to the Northern Plains Potato Growers1980s TheFarmCrisisofthe positionasRRVPGAsExecutive Association(NPPGA)tomoreaccu-1980s hits the nation forcing many Secretary after 22 years with the asso- ratelydescribeitsgeographicfoot-farmsoutofbusinessresultingin ciation.Dennis Kihlstadios was hired print which stretches to the Montanafewer but larger farm operations.A to replace him.border.combination of factors caused the cri-1995The Minnesota certified seed 2002 NPPGAbuyslandnearsisincludingbadeconomicpolicies, programputsupanewofficeand Tappen,NorthDakota(betweenover-production, trade embargos and operationsbuildingdirectlybehind Bismarck and Jamestown) for an irri-drought in the Midwest. the RRVPGA Office Building. gated research site. 1981 - The International Coopera- 1995 LongtimeUniversityof 2003 CraigSteinbeisserfromtive,Inc.frozenprocessingplantis Minnesota potato breeder Dr. Florian Sidney,MontanabecomesthefirstdissolvedandpurchasedbytheJ.R. Lauer retires after 36 years. chairmanfromoutsideofNorthSimplot Company. 1996 CynthiaHaskinsbecomes Dakota or Minnesota.1985 AtruckloadofRedRiver theassociationsfirstwoman 2007 JustinDagenbecomestheValleyPotatoesisunloadedinYogi President. (Formerly called Executive firstgrowertoserveastheassocia-Berras front yard in New Jersey gar- Secretary). tions chairman for a second time.Henering national publicity.1997The flood of 1997 is cata- previously served a decade earlier. 1987Farmland values bottomed strophic. After a winter of more than2007Duane Preston retires afteroutsignalingaslowturnaroundin 100ofsnow,theRedRiverturned serving 30 years as the Area Extensionthe farm economy. into a 50-mile-wide lake in late April Agent for Potatoes. Nick David takes 1987The Russet Norkotah variety swallowingnearlyeverythinginits his place in 2008.isreleasedbyNDSUandistermed path. Growers, businesses and associa- 2008 DuaneMaatzresignsasthe hottest potato in the industry. tion employees are all affected. NPPGA President. Chuck Gunnerson1988 PresidentRonaldReagan 1998 DuaneMaatzreplaces replaces him in 2009.JULY/AUGUST 2021 POTATO GROWER 5'