Potato Review

Work resumes on processing plant McCain Foods USA has resumed construction on a 170,000-square-foot expansion of its potato processing plant in Othello, Wash. The company paused construction on the facility in late May owing to COVID-19 restrictions limiting all non-essential work. It has operated at the plant for more than 30 years. The expansion will enable the company to increase production capacity by adding a new french fry processing line. McCain Foods is the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products and supplies french fries and potato specialties to retail and foodservice customers around the globe. 38 POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 INTERNATIONAL NEWS NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE $1 billion losses forWashington State TOTAL losses from the COVID-19 pandemic’s e“ects on the Washington State’s potato industry is estimated at more than $1 billion, according to a study by Washington State University. The university’s IMPACT Centre of the School of Economic Sciences conducted the study, after being commissioned by The Washington State Potato Commission. The pandemic has disrupted the supply chain, particularly in the foodservice sector, where French fries made from frozen potatoes and russets grown for restaurants for baked potatoes went unsold. Potential losses of state taxes by unsold product, along with links in the supply chain a“ected by the drop in production and processing, were also highlighted in the study. The commission’s Director of Governmental A“airs, Matt Harris, said the report revealed just how important potatoes are to the state’s economy and said the value they bring goes far beyond each individual farm. Growers have su“ered losses of around $29.2 million from the drop in demand and quality of the 2019 harvest, according to the report. Acreage for the 2020 fall harvest dropped 13%, which represents a drop of more than 729,000 tons of potatoes, according to the commission. The acreage drop resulted in $270.4 million net loss in productivity while potato processors have su“ered $714 million in lost productivity. Student growers donate harvest to wild re victims THE Crook County chapter of the Future Farmers of America harvested 8,000 pounds of potatoes which they donated to help feed wildfire victims in the Willamette Valley. Je“ Papke of Crook County FFA Alumnus said in an interview with US channel, ktvz.com: “One of the purposes of our farm here is not only to give the students the experience of production farming, raising awareness of growing crops, but we also want to give back to the community, and every year we pick di“erent organisations and causes. This just felt right. It made sense that we had these and it was something that we wanted to do.” Crook County is a county in the US state of Oregon and the FFA is a US-wide youth organisation that prepares members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.