Potato Grower

December 2014

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8 Potato Grower | DECEMBER 2014 Published 13 times a year by Harris Publishing Inc. Subscriptions: U.S. and Possessions $24.00 per year, International $120.00 per year. Copyright 2014 Harris Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Back issues available at $5 per copy. Limited quantities. Publisher not responsible for content of materials submitted. PRESIDENT Jason Harris VICE PRESIDENT Chuck Harris VICE PRESIDENT Ryan Harris VICE PRESIDENT Steve Janes VICE PRESIDENT Greg Larsen TREASURER Clayton Ward SECRETARY Janet Chase Canadian Publisher's Agreement No. 40606038, Customer No. 7004671. Mailed under a standard rate mailing permit at Idaho Falls, Idaho, and at additional mailing offices. Also Publishers of: Sugar Producer Western Turf G R O W E R POTATO May 2009 - $3.95 - Serving The National Potato Industry - www.potatogrower.com G R O W E R POTATO G R O W E R POTATO May 2009 - $3.95 - Serving The National Potato Industry - www.potatogrower.com G R O W E R POTATO G R O W E R POTATO May 2009 - $3.95 - Serving The National Potato Industry - www.potatogrower.com FOUNDED BY Darryl Harris Corporate Offices: HARRIS PUBLISHING INC. 360 B Street Idaho Falls, ID 83402 208-524-7000 Fax 208-522-5241 www.potatogrower.com PUBLISHER Jason Harris MANAGING EDITOR Steve Smede steve@potatogrower.com EDITOR Tyrell Marchant tyrell@potatogrower.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Allen Thayer allen@potatogrower.com TECHNICAL EDITOR Dr. Phil Nolte, UI Potato Specialist pnolte@uidaho.edu ADVERTISING Dave Alexander dave@potatogrower.com Rob Erickson rob.erickson@potatogrower.com GROUP SECRETARY Magdalene Mercado PRODUCTION Janet Chase Jim Donovan GRAPHIC ARTISTS April Frederick Lavon Horne Del Moss CIRCULATION Yvonne Young IT DEPARTMENT Chuck Harris ACCOUNTING Clayton Ward Barbara Morotini IDAHO GROWER SHIPPER ASSOCIATION Phone: 208-529-4400 www.idahoshippers.com IDAHO POTATO COMMISSION Phone: 208-334-2350 www.idahopotato.com NATIONAL POTATO COUNCIL Phone: 202-682-9456 www.nationalpotatocouncil.org POTATO GROWERS OF IDAHO Phone: 208-785-1110 www.thepgi.com SOUTHERN IDAHO POTATO COOPERATIVE Phone: 208-234-7472 Email: sidpco@msn.com UNITED POTATO GROWERS OF AMERICA Phone: 801-266-5050 www.unitedpotatosusa.com UNITED STATES POTATO BOARD Phone: 303-369-7783 www.uspotatoes.com Printed in Idaho Falls, ID by Falls Printing dave@fallsprinting.com Herdmans or No Herdmans… BETWEEN THE ROWS by Tyrell Marchant, Editor The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. So begins Barbara Robinson's classic holiday story, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie and Gladys—six siblings with inventive minds and mean streaks six counties wide, and devoid, it appears, of any sort of moral compass. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down toolhouse. The story goes that the local church's Christmas pageant is turned on its head when the hellions of the Herdman household take over as the holy family, the wise men and the angel of the Lord. Chaos, hilarity and beautiful, clichéd life lessons ensue. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is probably my favorite book of all time, and I hope that doesn't make it sound as if I'm not well-read. It's dear to my heart as much for Robinson's vastly undervalued literary genius as for the warm holiday memories it conjures up. Pageant's most overlooked and undervalued character, in my opinion, is the unnamed narrator's unnamed mother, upon whom is thrust the unwanted responsibility of running the Christmas pageant. Mother feels inadequate before the Herdmans even show up, but when the criticisms start pouring in, she rolls up her sleeves, sets her teeth and gets to work. "Why, it's going to be the best Christmas pageant we've ever had!" Of all the lies she'd told so far, that was the biggest, but you had to admire her. It was like General Custer saying, "Bring on the Indians!" Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, once said, "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable." The same could certainly be said for making a living from the dirt of the earth. A meeting was held during the USPB's summer meetings this past July in Jackson, Wyo., to bounce around ideas and try to lay out a long-range plan for the Board's marketing efforts. One point was brought up over and over again: These plans are important, but they absolutely have to be flexible. Just as the German army surprised Eisenhower and the Allies with their aggressive offensive during the Battle of the Bulge, outside influences that can't be planned for, from the political to the biological, have the potential to catch the potato industry and individual growers off guard. The key is sticking to the fundamental tenets of the original plan to ultimately achieve success. As we go back to our small-town Christmas pageant, we see an unkempt Mary, played by Imogene Herdman, burp the baby Jesus "as if he had colic," and the wise men plop a holiday ham, not gold, frankincense and myrrh, at the foot of the Christ Child's manger bed. Everyone had been waiting all this time for the Herdmans to do something absolutely unexpected. And sure enough, that was what happened. Imogene Herdman was crying. In the candlelight her face was all shiny with tears and she didn't even bother to wipe them away. She just sat there—awful old Imogene—in her crookedy veil, crying and crying and crying…as if she had just caught onto the idea of God, and the wonder of Christmas. Life rarely goes to plan. But that doesn't make the planning any less worthwhile. Herdmans are everywhere, but things tend to turn out all right when you're living life the right way. At this time of gratitude and love and hope, may the good Lord smile down kindly on you and yours. Merry Christmas. Planning for the unplannable

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