Potato producers will have an opportunity to learn more about the state of the industry at the 2013 Washington-Oregon Potato Conference. The event will be held Jan. 29-31 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, WA.

"The Washington-Oregon Potato Conference is a great place for all to attend and meet with other professionals from throughout the industry and identify new opportunities that can help them in the year to come," Ryan Holterhoff, director of Damian Mason will be the keynote speaker at the 2013 Washington-Oregon Potato Conference in Kennewick, WA. He will deliver his acclaimed presentation, 'Humor for the Heart of Agriculture,' on Jan. 30. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Potato Commission)marketing and industry affairs for the Washington State Potato Commission, told The Produce News.

"Each year the Washington-Oregon Potato Conference is a place for potato industry professionals from throughout the Northwest and beyond to come together and spend their time learning from industry experts and collaborating with each other," he said. "This year's conference is anticipating 1,700 attendees who can listen to over 30 presentations that cover wide variety of issue impacting the industry. Attendees will also be able to visit over 100 exhibitors to see what's new for 2013."

An early bird reception will kick things off the evening of Jan. 28. A Spanish language session and cultivar performance workshop will be offered Jan. 29. General sessions will also begin on Jan. 30.

A trade show will be held throughout the conference.

"We will be providing an update on some of this year's activities as well as some of the outreach services that Raina Spence, our director of industry outreach, will now provide," Mr. Holterhoff added.

This year's keynote speaker is Damian Mason. He is a professional speaker, entertainer, writer, businessman and farm owner. He grew up on an Indiana dairy farm and was involved with Future Farmers of America and 4-H at a young age. Mr. Mason has a degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University and also studied comedy writing and improvisation at Second City in Chicago.

Today, Mr. Mason and his wife, Lori, live and work on a 200-acre beef, grain and timber farm in Huntington, IN.

Attendees will have an opportunity to see Mr. Mason deliver his acclaimed presentation, "Humor for the Heart of Agriculture," at the conference.

Turning to potato production, Bill Brewer, executive director of the Oregon Potato Commission, said the state's producers planted 41,000 acres to potatoes this season. "Fresh table stock is approximately 15 percent of the total," he said. The majority of Oregon's fresh potatoes is comprised of russets, with reds, yellows and specialty potatoes accounting for approximately 4 percent.

Weather conditions were generally conducive to potato production. "Quality is high," he said. "Size is a little larger than normal. Product is available."

According to the commission's website, "Oregon has one of the highest yields per acre of potatoes in the world at 53,000 pounds of potatoes per acre."

The commission continues to emphasize the ways in which taste differences are influenced by terroir, a French term meaning "of the soil." Mr. Brewer said these influences include soil composition, microclimate, geographical location, native microbiology and local cultural practices.

This past September, the commission hosted a reverse trade mission, giving potato importers from Vietnam an opportunity to participate in a statewide tour and see producer operations up close.

The commission has also been working with Panamanian authorities to open the country to potato exports from Oregon. Last September, Panama granted access.

Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, said overall acreage planted to fresh potatoes remained unchanged from 2011. In all, fresh accounts for 13 percent of potato volume in the Evergreen State.

Washington's volume was down when compared to last season due to a cool spring and hot summer. The size profile was well distributed, providing plenty of product for larger-size packs as well as smaller-sized product for consumer packs.

As for product movement, he said, "The typical split for fresh potatoes is usually 10 percent export and 90 percent domestic. But we're seeing strong growth in our export markets and expect more potatoes to be exported this year than ever before."

Mr. Voigt said Japan and Korea have increased their purchases of Washington potatoes. "We are also seeing continued purchases of fresh table stock potatoes in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico and Canada," he added. "Vietnam has been a recent addition that is showing great growth, and new access to the market in the Philippines might be a possibility."