N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 26 POTATO GROWER National Fry Processing Trials Field Day Returns To East Grand Forks, Minnesota More than 25 people attended the 2018 National Fry Processors Trial (NFPT) Field Day in East Grand Forks, Minnesota on October 15. The event was hosted by the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPPGA) and the Field Day activities were housed next door in the storage sheds of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA- ARS) Potato Research Worksite (PRW). NPPGA is a financial supporter of the NFPT and also serves on the program’s Steering Committee. “The partnership between growers, processors, breeders, and our lab here in East Grand Forks is quite valuable,” noted Darrin Haagenson, manager of the USDA-ARS PRW. “The presence of people involved throughout the variety development process in one place to evaluate the program’s samples, share ideas, and collaborate is unique and indispensable.” Attendees representing processors J.R. Simplot, McCain Foods, and Lamb Weston were in attendance. State potato grower associations including the Washington State Potato Commission, Idaho Potato Commission and Michigan Potato Industry Commission attended as well. The NFPT program has trial locations in Idaho, Maine, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. Material from all locations are shipped to the USDA-ARS PRW where attendees have the option to review and rate them based upon appearance. Additional post-harvest testing is conducted on the samples based upon exhibited attributes such as yields, specific gravity, and shape and appearance, among other characteristics. Those samples failing to meet NFPT criteria are discarded from the program while those that exhibit promise are retained and moved up the development ladder. First year clones are designated as Tier One, second year as Tier Two, and third year as Tier Three. If a clone advances to Tier Three, it is retired from the program at the conclu- sion of its third season. This year’s NFPT had 19 Tier One clones, nine Tier Two clones, and 10 Tier Three clones. All clones were com- pared to Russet Burbank and Ranger Russet grown at each trial location as check material. “The 2018 NFPT class is the most impressive that I’ve seen in the last four years. While the number of participating clones were lower than in previous years, there was a greater con- centration of samples that were closer to what trial participants are looking for,” said Ryan Krabill, Director of Research at Potatoes USA and NFPT program manager. Samples from five of the six trial loca- tions were available for viewing. Trial material from the sixth location in North Dakota was not available for eval- uation due to excessive snow and cold weather that prevented harvest prior to the Field Day. The material has since been harvested and will be evaluated based upon agronomic characteristics. In addition to the observations by processor and grower organization rep- 800-437-4685 Fax: (701) 746-5767 The Choice is yours! SALES BY: Greg Holtman • Jeff Lazur • Tim Johnstone • Paul Dolan - Manager • Bryan Miller - CEO The Choice is yours! You’ll love our red potatoes Greg Holtman • Jeff Lazur • Tim Johnstone • Paul Dolan - Manager • Bryan Miller - CEO For dependability and professionalism your choice should be Associated Potato Growers. With operations from three locations, Associated has been the largest packer of red potatoes in the Red River Valley since 1949. Make us your choice for all your red potato needs.