Potatoes are highly sensitive to even moderate environmental changes. During Potato Expo 2026, we sat down with Andrew Pritchard, Senior Atmospheric Scientist at Nutrien, who identified the &quot;best and worst&quot; weather patterns for potato health. The conversation focuses on practical resilience strategies, including soil performance tracking and storage management, to help producers remain profitable despite erratic rainfall and shifting pest pressures.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Potatoes are highly sensitive to even moderate environmental changes. During Potato Expo 2026, we sat down with &lt;b&gt;Andrew Pritchard, Senior Atmospheric Scientist at Nutrien&lt;/b&gt;, who identified the &amp;quot;best and worst&amp;quot; weather patterns for potato health. The conversation focuses on practical resilience strategies, including soil performance tracking and storage management, to help producers remain profitable despite erratic rainfall and shifting pest pressures. &lt;/p&gt;</description>

Potatoes are highly sensitive to even moderate environmental changes. During Potato Expo 2026, we sat down with Andrew Pritchard, Senior Atmospheric Scientist at Nutrien, who identified the "best and worst" weather patterns for potato health. The conversation focuses on practical resilience strategies, including soil performance tracking and storage management, to help producers remain profitable despite erratic rainfall and shifting pest pressures.  

Wetter, Warmer, Wilder: How Weather Patterns Reshape Potato Farming

The 2025 Leadership Institute added a new layer of innovation with the introduction of capstone projects, requiring participants to identify and solve critical issues facing the U.S. potato industry. On this episode of Eye on Potatoes, we sit down with Michael Rainis of Friehe Farms, Mike Murphy of Childstock Farms, and Matthew McKenna of County Farms—the trio behind &quot;SPUD Team Six.&quot; Fresh off their presentation on the main stage at Potato Expo 2026, these emerging leaders share their capstone project plan to double the participation rate of Leadership Institute graduates in state and national organizations within one year of completing the program. We discuss their personal highlights from the 10-day training—which took them from the fields of Wisconsin to the halls of Capitol Hill—and explore how the capstone process enhanced their teamwork and leadership skills.

<description>&lt;p&gt;The 2025 Leadership Institute added a new layer of innovation with the introduction of capstone projects, requiring participants to identify and solve critical issues facing the U.S. potato industry. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On this episode of Eye on Potatoes, we sit down with Michael Rainis of Friehe Farms, Mike Murphy of Childstock Farms, and Matthew McKenna of County Farms—the trio behind &amp;quot;SPUD Team Six.&amp;quot; Fresh off their presentation on the main stage at Potato Expo 2026, these emerging leaders share their capstone project plan to double the participation rate of Leadership Institute graduates in state and national organizations within one year of completing the program. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We discuss their personal highlights from the 10-day training—which took them from the fields of Wisconsin to the halls of Capitol Hill—and explore how the capstone process enhanced their teamwork and leadership skills. &lt;/p&gt;</description>

The 2025 Leadership Institute added a new layer of innovation with the introduction of capstone projects, requiring participants to identify and solve critical issues facing the U.S. potato industry.  On this episode of Eye on Potatoes, we sit down with Michael Rainis of Friehe Farms, Mike Murphy of Childstock Farms, and Matthew McKenna of County Farms—the trio behind "SPUD Team Six." Fresh off their presentation on the main stage at Potato Expo 2026, these emerging leaders share their c...

Spud Team Six: Capstone Solutions for Industry Engagement

National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles and Spudman Managing Editor Melinda Waldrop join the Eye on Potatoes Podcast to break down the inaugural 2026 Spud Sector Survey. This first-of-its-kind report moves past headlines to reveal the economic heartbeat of America’s potato growers. Discover how NPC uses this &quot;hard data ammunition&quot; to advocate for our family farms in Washington, D.C. The group discusses the striking &quot;optimism gap,&quot; where growers feel confident in their own operations but fear for the broader industry’s future. From the 82.9% of growers facing inflationary disruptions to the &quot;essential bridge&quot; of federal emergency aid, this episode provides a strategic roadmap for the ongoing efforts to Stand Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill.Download the Spud Sector Survey here: <a href='https://spudman.com/spudsector'>spudman.com/spudsector</a>.

<description>&lt;p&gt;National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles and Spudman Managing Editor Melinda Waldrop join the Eye on Potatoes Podcast to break down the inaugural 2026 Spud Sector Survey. This first-of-its-kind report moves past headlines to reveal the economic heartbeat of America’s potato growers. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Discover how NPC uses this &amp;quot;hard data ammunition&amp;quot; to advocate for our family farms in Washington, D.C. The group discusses the striking &amp;quot;optimism gap,&amp;quot; where growers feel confident in their own operations but fear for the broader industry’s future. From the 82.9% of growers facing inflationary disruptions to the &amp;quot;essential bridge&amp;quot; of federal emergency aid, this episode provides a strategic roadmap for the ongoing efforts to Stand Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Download the Spud Sector Survey here: &lt;a href='https://spudman.com/spudsector'&gt;spudman.com/spudsector&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;</description>

National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles and Spudman Managing Editor Melinda Waldrop join the Eye on Potatoes Podcast to break down the inaugural 2026 Spud Sector Survey. This first-of-its-kind report moves past headlines to reveal the economic heartbeat of America’s potato growers.  Discover how NPC uses this "hard data ammunition" to advocate for our family farms in Washington, D.C. The group discusses the striking "optimism gap," where growers feel confident in their own operations but...

Bridging the Optimism Gap: Insights from the Spud Sector Survey

In this special live recording from the Expo Stage at Potato Expo 2026, host Lane Nordlund sits down with Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council (NPC), and Randy Russell, President and CEO of The Russell Group. One year into the current administration, the discussion tackles the current policy landscape and its impact on NPC&apos;s mission of &quot;Standing Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill.&quot; The conversation explores how the &quot;Make America Healthy Again&quot; (MAHA) movement and the DOGE commission have shifted the food policy landscape far faster than typical federal cycles. Looking toward the 2026 midterm elections, the panel analyzes the narrow legislative window for passing a new five-year Farm Bill, as the 2018 bill remains under a one-year extension through September 2026. The group also addresses the ongoing economic crisis in farm country, highlighting the NPC’s role in fighting for additional economic relief for specialty crop producers to offset rising input costs and market disruptions.

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this special live recording from the Expo Stage at Potato Expo 2026, host Lane Nordlund sits down with &lt;b&gt;Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council (NPC)&lt;/b&gt;, and &lt;b&gt;Randy Russell, President and CEO of The Russell Group.&lt;/b&gt; One year into the current administration, the discussion tackles the current policy landscape and its impact on NPC&amp;apos;s mission of &amp;quot;Standing Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill.&amp;quot;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The conversation explores how the &amp;quot;Make America Healthy Again&amp;quot; (MAHA) movement and the DOGE commission have shifted the food policy landscape far faster than typical federal cycles. Looking toward the 2026 midterm elections, the panel analyzes the narrow legislative window for passing a new five-year Farm Bill, as the 2018 bill remains under a one-year extension through September 2026. The group also addresses the ongoing economic crisis in farm country, highlighting the NPC’s role in fighting for additional economic relief for specialty crop producers to offset rising input costs and market disruptions.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

In this special live recording from the Expo Stage at Potato Expo 2026, host Lane Nordlund sits down with Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council (NPC), and Randy Russell, President and CEO of The Russell Group. One year into the current administration, the discussion tackles the current policy landscape and its impact on NPC's mission of "Standing Up for Potatoes on Capitol Hill."  The conversation explores how the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement and the DOGE commission ...

LIVE from Potato Expo 2026: Views from the Nation’s Capital

In this recording from Potato Expo 2026 in Dallas, National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles and Matt Lantz of Bryant Christie Inc. dive into the high-stakes world of international potato trade. The group discusses the industry’s formal request for a Section 332 fact-finding investigation to address concerns regarding British Columbia’s efforts over 40 years to limit exports of potatoes to that province, along with concerns over other Canadian policies that may unfairly distort trade. They also explore how the industry is using trade leverage to decrease friction and expand the global footprint of U.S. potatoes in Asia, Mexico, and around the world.

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this recording from Potato Expo 2026 in Dallas, National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles and Matt Lantz of Bryant Christie Inc. dive into the high-stakes world of international potato trade. The group discusses the industry’s formal request for a Section 332 fact-finding investigation to address concerns regarding British Columbia’s efforts over 40 years to limit exports of potatoes to that province, along with concerns over other Canadian policies that may unfairly distort trade. They also explore how the industry is using trade leverage to decrease friction and expand the global footprint of U.S. potatoes in Asia, Mexico, and around the world. &lt;/p&gt;</description>

In this recording from Potato Expo 2026 in Dallas, National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles and Matt Lantz of Bryant Christie Inc. dive into the high-stakes world of international potato trade. The group discusses the industry’s formal request for a Section 332 fact-finding investigation to address concerns regarding British Columbia’s efforts over 40 years to limit exports of potatoes to that province, along with concerns over other Canadian policies that may unfairly distort trade. They also...

Navigating U.S. Potato Trade Opportunities in 2026

The Eye on Potatoes Podcast is brought to you by the National Potato Council. This is the place to tune in for conversations with growers and thought leaders on advocacy, production and all things potatoes. It's about talking with folks across the United States and hearing stories about how federal policy impacts potato farming and the important role the NPC plays in standing up for potatoes on Capitol Hill. Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato growing obstacles.

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