State potato conference underway

KENNEWICK, Wash.  — Despite the location change from Moses Lake to Kennewick, business was definitely underway during Day 1 of the Washington State Potato Conference Monday.

A seed grower and a seed buyer were chatting in the foyer of the Three Rivers Convention Center.

Down the hall in the Cyber Café, a business owner was listening to a radio advertising sales pitch.

And inside the booth display area, a group of men were gathered around a huge flat screen TV watching a video about a new harvester.

The buzz of business is appropriate, as Washington ranks second behind Idaho as the United States’ largest potato producing state.

“This is an opportunity for people in the industry to come together,” said Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission. “It’s the only big meeting we have in Washington state.”

Attendance figures weren’t available Monday, but Voigt said event organizers expect about 2,000 people.

“Everyone loves the facilities,” he said. “It’s so nice to have the trade show in one area and the seminars will be right next door in the same building. That’s what people wanted, so we’re here to deliver that.”

Growers have a chance to see the trade show, vendors, sit in on educational seminars and hear industry updates, he said.

Voigt also spoke of the commission’s extensive research program, which the commission invests almost $800,000 in grower dollars, as well as federal and state money.

Growers can utilize the information to hopefully use less fertilizer and chemicals and learn how to better manage the growth of potatoes, he explained.

Erik Skone, owner of Warden-based Skone Irrigation, said he staffed a booth at the event to support the potato industry and to let growers know more about the business.

He said he gathers customer leads at the conference, shows new products and items and follows up with customers later.

“So far, it’s been a slow start,” Skone said. “It stinks for us because of the drive. It looks like an excellent facility.”

Byron Fitch with the state Department of Agriculture’s Mobile Chemigation Training Unit, was answering questions about the new service, which trains people to safely inject pesticides into irrigation water.

The training is new and the unit is owned by the potato commission, he said.  Many sponsors have also donated money to the effort.

Instead of people traveling to class, the unit can be brought to a farm or business, he explained.

 “We can take the training to the people,” Fitch said.

Under the annual grant, there’s currently no charge for the training, but it will eventually increase to about $35 per person, he said.

The conference was the first event for the unit, he said.

In February, the unit will provide training near Plymouth, Wash., at a Simplot location and Wilbur-Ellis in Quincy, he said.

Preston Stanley, manager of the Colorado Certified Potato Growers Association, said he’s attended the event for 13 years, as the association has many customers in the Columbia Basin

He brought 250 pounds of potatoes, directories and a display case in a vehicle, he explained.

 “You just can’t get in on a plane anymore,” Stanley said.

On Monday, he said he already made two sales of Russet and yellow potatoes.

Rhonda Wilkins of Simplot Grower Solutions near Othello said she and two co-workers attended the event because they supply chemicals and fertilizer to growers.

“I think this will be nice,” Wilkins said of the new location.

They sat in on a meeting held by Syngenta to learn about the company’s product line and changes for the 2009 season, said Jason Redding, Wilkins’ co-worker.

He commented how the event was a trade show on Monday and how more growers would be out today.

Seed grower Mike Hawley of Ferndale, Wash., and seed buyer Sam Stahl of Standfield, Ore., were visiting the conference Monday afternoon.

Stahl said he attends the event every year and added he thought there was less equipment on display than last year.

He commented about how a football dome in Pocatello, Idaho, is used to display farm equipment.

Hawley said he likes the new location because it’s “nicer, warmer and more welcoming.”

The conference continues today and concludes Wednesday.