Potatoes front and center

KENNEWICK — Oregon and Washington potato commissioners dish up a baked potato lunch at the 2024 Washington-Oregon Potato Conference on Wednesday. The potato bar is a longstanding tradition at the annual conference, traditionally served by the commissioners. The menu used to feature new varieties in development, giving farmers a chance to test them out before they went on the market. But Ann Van Dyke of the Washington Potato Commission said the conference got so big that researchers couldn’t supply that many potatoes.