b'lights.defendthepotatoactivelyandnies and the grower organizations.proactivelydeliverpositivemes- Fresh access to Taiwan (now thesages.Created the Fresh Working Group largest fresh market in Asia). Domesticconsumptionofpota- to bring the fresh shippers together Freshchippingpotatoaccesstotoes has rebounded and is now out- with Potatoes USA to better under-Japan and China. standandgrowthedemandfor pacing production.fresh potatoes. FreshaccesstoVietnam,the Philippines,Thailand,andOne of the things I am most proudIcanthelpbutthinkaboutthe Myanmar.of is how we have been able to bringthingsthatstillcanbeaccom-thepotatoindustrytogetheroverplished, from continuing to expand SeedpotatoaccesstoBrazil,thistimeandfocusonobtaininginternational demand for and access Uruguay, Guatemala, Morocco, andcommon goals. For instance: to U.S. potatoes and products to get-Cuba.CreatedthePhytosanitaryting a large portion of the U.S. pop- Increased access and reduced tar- Initiative to combine efforts of theulation to understand that potatoes iffs under the U.S-Korea FTA, U.S. states and national organizations tofuelperformancetoestablishing CentralAmericaFTA,USMCA,gainforeignaccessforfreshandpotatoesareanutrient-denseveg-Vietnam WTO accession, and Japanseed potatoes.etableandovercomingtheTater agreement.Haters who try to say otherwise. I Helped bring the processors, QSRs,will miss being a part of these andGained full access to export freshand potato grower organizations toother efforts to increase the demand potatoes to Mexico, something thatthe American Potato Trade Alliancefor potatoes, but I know that if the has taken my entire 23 years in theto address access issues for processedindustryworkstogether,thisand industry to achieve and that manyproducts.much more will be accomplished.thoughtwouldneverhappen.Founded the Seed Export Taskforce Maintaining this access will not beto provide industry input into andThank you all for your support and easyandwillrequirecommitmentparticipation in the seed export pro- friendshipthroughouttheyears.I from the whole industry and USDAgram.hope to stay in touch with as many to do so.of you as possible. Rest assured that Iwillcontinuetopersonallypro-Domestic Marketing Held the first-ever meetings withAdded the foodservice and ingre- the dehy industry and then furthermote Americas Favorite Vegetable.dient programs.expandedtotheannualandnow semi-annualprocessormeetingsJohn ToaspernDeveloped and then initiated thewith both frozen and dehy compa- Potato Ambassador for Life game-changingpotatoesfuelper-formance marketing program.The Insulation PlaceCreated the culinary program and14770 69th Place NEGrafton, ND 58237 hired chef RJ Harvey to lead it. Urethane Spray-On Insulation Revitalized the nutrition programEliminates air infiltration & stops condensationtoconnectwithnutritionprofes- Highest R-Value Insulation Fire Proofing sionalsandconsumers,conveyingMoisture Barriers Flat Roofsproactive messaging.Grafton(701) 352-3233 1-800-352-0620RetooledtheissuesmanagementBismarck(701) 255-0025 1-866-425-0025program toWebsite www.theinsulationplace.comJULY/AUGUST 2022 POTATO GROWER 7'