Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 6 POTATO GROWER Ryan Krabill, Research Director, Potatoes USA With university-sponsored agricultural research funding decreasing, diversified sources for research funding become more important to U.S. agriculture. Despite being America’s favorite veg- etable, the potato industry is not exempt from this reality. More than ever, emerging threats and evolving consumer demands need to be addressed directly, and oftentimes, through research. In late September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that $48 mil- lion in federal research grant funds for the fruit and vegetable industry would be awarded through its Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI). Since the SCRI program began in 2008, the potato industry has had several successes in securing SCRI research funds. In 2009, nearly $2.4 million was awarded for PVY research and $6.7 million was awarded to research zebra chip management. In 2011, $7.6 million went toward acry- lamide mitigation research. In 2014, $1.6 million went towards a second PVY project. And in 2015, nearly $2.7 mil- lion was directed to potato psyllid research in the Pacific Northwest. Successful research outcomes in the past enables us to see firsthand the overall importance of ongoing research and potential benefits of future research to the entire industry. It is imperative we work to improve our strategic approach in securing additional research funding especially via the SCRI program. Last year only 20 percent of the SCRI research proposals received award fund- ing. As the program grows in popularity and familiarity across all segments of the specialty crop industry, it is reason- able to expect that there will be more projects vying for a slice of the research funding pie. The potato industry is preparing for the increased competition and has adopted a strategic approach that will sharpen research priorities and allocate resources towards those priori- ties when necessary. In conjunction with state and national industry partners, Potatoes USA created the Potato Research Advisory Committee, or PRAC. PRAC is a twelve- member committee with four members each from the National Potato Council, state potato organizations, and Potatoes USA. Chuck Gunnerson, president of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, is among the charter mem- bers of PRAC. Each year, the committee’s primary mis- sion is to establish national research pri- orities for the potato industry. The prior- ities will transcend region and sector to focus on those research needs that are national in scope. Ultimately, PRAC pri- orities should provide guidance to the potato research community on the most pressing research needs. In turn, this will inform the research community on what projects can expect to receive industry support. Industry support is a critical aspect of the SCRI application process. In the process of setting priorities, PRAC will also assist in identifying research short- comings and work with the research community to strengthen the approach to cover those gaps. While the short- term goal of PRAC is to improve the industry’s success in the competitive SCRI program, establishing an industry recognized process to identify national research priorities will empower the U.S. potato industry in its pursuit of diversi- fied sources of research funding. National Potato Research: A Team Approach