b'The Birth of the Growers Associationby Ted Kreis, NPPGA Marketing and Communications Directorstill available; contact the NPPGA office for 1946. Within a short time, five dis-moreinformation.Thisfirstarticlewas tinctareasofAssociationactivityentitled The Beginning and wrote about emerged:legislativework,market-the birth of the potato industry in the Red ing,trafficandregulationstudies,River Valley. potato research, and promotion andpublicrelations.TheseweregoingThis is the second article. It will speak to to be the key areas the AssociationtheformingandearlyhistoryoftheRed would focus on, and still does today.RiverValleyPotatoGrowersAssociation. It didnt take long before theFinally, the third article will be in the July- RRVPGAboastedof600membersAugust issue and will wrap things up with from both sides of the Red River.some general facts and highlights up to thepresent day. Believe it or not, this wasnt the firstorganized potato group in the RedJustafterWorldWarII,thecoun- RiverValley.Anearliergrowerstrys economy was really starting to organizationcalledtheNorthheat up and potato growers in the DakotaPotatoGrowersandAsourgrowersassociationcelebratesits Valley realized they were in an unfa- ShippersTrafficAssociationhad75th year, we are looking back at some of vorable competitive position.They been formed in 1935 but had beentheregionspotatohistoryinaseriesof werehandicappedbydirty,poorly largely inconsequential. three articles; this one is the second. We are gradedpotatoesandinferiormar-relying on the Lynda Kennys book, The keting practices.As a result, the Red On October 18th, 1946 the RRVPGAPast is Never Far AwayA History of the RiverValleyPotatoGrowers issued their first bulletin in whichRed River Valley Potato Industry written Association(RRVPGA)wasformed W.M. Bill Case was announced asin 1995.Copies of that hard cover book are and began operation in the fall of thefirstExecutiveSecretary.TheThe Red River Valley Research Complex in 1950.6 POTATO GROWER MAY/JUNE 2021'