Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/279733
44 Potato Grower | APRIL 2014 no rest for the weary With farm bill passed, growers turn to next challenges national potato CounCil by John Keeling Potato growers are not known to bask in their accomplishments: as soon as the fall crop is in storage, growers begin plan- ning for next spring's planting. the same is true for their philosophy on public pol- icy: as soon as one issue is resolved, they are on to the next. While growers took time to celebrate the recent passage of the 2014 farm Bill at this year's Potato D.C. fly-In, held feb. 24-27 in Washington, D.C., the majority of the time was spent on policy issues yet to be resolved. for those unfamiliar with the event, the Potato D.C. fly-In is an annual gather- ing of potato growers and industry leaders who travel from around the country to educate policymakers on Capitol hill and in the federal agencies on the issues that could impact their farms and operations for generations to come. Adding Potatoes to WIC Program Building off nPC's successful cam- paign to bring common sense to UsDA's school meal rules, growers have turned their focus to the inclusion of nutritious potatoes in all federal feeding programs, including the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. Designed to help low income mothers and their young children through supple- mental nutritional dollars, WIC currently prohibits its participants from buying fresh white potatoes with program vouchers. While including potatoes in the program will not result in a financial windfall for the industry, growers reminded their members of Congress that revising the WIC food package will send a strong mes- sage that potatoes are an important and efficient nutrient delivery vehicle that should be included in all federal nutrition programs. iMMigration reforM Although the issue is politically charged and highly emotional, potato growers and others in the agriculture community are working to build support for passage of immigration reform that assures continued access to a reliable sup- ply of farm labor. In recent years, the number of work- ers available for agricultural employment has diminished for reasons including an aging immigrant workforce, increased the nPC delegation stands on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building during the d.C. Potato Fly-In in February.