Potato show returns to Basin

Unnamed variety bows at potato bar

MOSES LAKE — All eyes will be on spuds again next week.

The Washington State Potato Conference and Trade Show will take place beginning with an early bird reception at the Best Western Lake Inn from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday.

The conference commences the next day, with the trade show again being held at the Ardell Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds, and the spouses program heading to the Cave B Winery in George.

While there's no overall theme, potato conference secretary-treasurer Karen Bonaudi said the Washington State Potato Commission, where she is assistant executive director, is using the conference to kick off its 50th anniversary.

"It's something our growers look forward to every year, because they get to meet up with colleagues," she said. "Exhibitors look forward to it because it's an important sales tool. Growers also receive credits for attending the production session."

The conference is largely for grower education, Bonaudi said, whether it be the trade show with new equipment, scientific information at the production sessions or keynote speaker Dr. Lowell Catlett, regents professor at New Mexico State University and consultant to the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Interior Defense and Labor.

Catlett's speech, "Tomorrow's Agriculture: Six Trends You Can't Afford to Miss," will address different ways to view the potato industry, including from a medical or ecological perspective. Catlett will deliver his address Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Big Bend Community College's Advanced Technologies and Education Center.

Potato conference chair Dale Lathim said Catlett is along the same caliber of last year's keynote speaker, Dr. Patrick Moore, who spoke about pro-consensus environmentalism.

"Little different topic, but the caliber is just amazing," Lathim said. "The conference as a whole is a slight step above last year's, which we thought was one of the best we've ever had."

For the first time, the keynote address will be fed over to a big screen TV at the trade show, so exhibitors or trade show participants don't miss out or have to make a mad dash to the ATEC, Lathim said.

He added the potato bar will only be held at the trade show this year, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Some times will be solely dedicated to the trade show, to ensure exhibitors get maximum exposure, Lathim said.

At the potato bar, a new, unnamed variety of russet potato will be sampled.

"Every potato that we eat is the product of years of research, and so this one has been in the works for 10 years," Bonaudi said. "We think besides having a taste test, it's a good way to educate people on what it takes to bring a variety to market."

Attendance at the conference usually numbers between 1,700 and 1,800, Bonaudi said, and there has been increased promotion this year, "so it will be interesting to see if we have increased participation."

Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce manager Karen Wagner said a study conducted two years ago shows, for the duration of the conference, the total value of area economic impact is $3,160,255.

The figure is derived from registration income, lodging income, food and beverage income and miscellaneous income, Wagner explained, adding taxes and advertising revenue are also factors.

With the exception of rising prices of gas and food due to minimum wage increases, Wagner said she didn't think the area economic impact figure would have changed very much in the past two years, noting most of the other factors are near or equivalent to what they were.