Potato Grower

42 POTATO GROWER | NOVEMBER 2018 IN AT THE GROUND LEVEL Focusing on soil health will lead to more efficient potato production. One of the biggest questions our global community will face in the next 30 years is, "How are we going to double our food production?" Food policy experts are estimating that global food production will have to double in order to meet the nutritional demands of the expanding world population and the explosion of the middle class. Perhaps shifting more food production towards potatoes will help. Currently, the average potato grower in Washington State produces over 21 million calories per acre. The average rice farmer in Arkansas produces just over 4.4 million calories per acre. A Washington State potato grower is producing 477 percent more food per acre than the average rice farmer in Arkansas. Many dietitians would also comment that the potato is more nutrient-dense compared to grain production. So perhaps the potato will be the future to sustaining life on our planet. If it worked for Matt Damon on Mars, it should work for us here in real life on Earth, too! I'm certainly not encouraging more farmers to plant more potatoes. I want my friends in Arkansas to continue to produce the great rice I need for my famous Kung Pao chicken dinner. We have plenty of potatoes right now, at least in most parts of the U.S. Here in Washington, the continued growth of frozen potato consumption in the Pacific Rim has outstripped the raw product supply for our potato processors. They have had to turn away international sales or divert those sales to other countries due to our inability to keep up with demand. Our growers would love to increase production, but we have exhausted our current supply of irrigated land. The only options are to figure out a way to shorten rotations— which has historically proven to be a disaster—or to increase yields on existing ground. Regardless of which option you choose, better managing the biology and chemistry of our soils will be critical for increasing overall potato production. There are millions of different organisms in the soil, and our knowledge of how they interact with each other is very limited. Is there a way to better manage our soils to reduce pest populations and increase fertility? The only way to find out will be to invest in soil health and potato cropping systems research. The Washington State Potato Commission (WSPC) is partnering with Washington State University, the Washington State Department of Agriculture, the Washington State Conservation Commission, and all three of the frozen potato processors in the state to invest in soil health research for potato cropping systems. The kickoff to this effort will begin on Dec. 5-6, as the WSPC and WSU will host the first Soil Health Summit focused on potato production. The summit will be held at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Wash. The first day will include a variety of soil health experts from around the country, discussing the results of current research projects and identifying knowledge gaps that exist. The second day will be all about potatoes. It will include grower and research panels discussing current soil health practices from around the country. There will also be brainstorming sessions geared toward developing the best ideas for implementing on- farm projects. We hope the Soil Health Summit will get our grower community excited about the opportunities on their farms as well as help us prioritize where we can get the biggest bang for the buck in our research efforts. For more information on the Soil Health Summit, contact Matthew Blua, WSPC director of research and outreach, at (509) 765-8845 or mblua@ potatoes.com. I'm excited about this challenge and the opportunity it presents to our potato communities. The ability to grow more food using fewer resources is a serious challenge. After spending the last 22 years working with many great leaders in the potato industry, I have great confidence in our ability to come together and succeed in addressing this global challenge. Washington State Potato Commission By Chris Voigt Executive Director As we seek ways to feed a growing population, better managing the biology and chemistry of our soils will be critical for increasing overall potato production.

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