million pounds,” says Ted Kreis, the NPPGA’s
marketing and communications director.
“The region as a whole is the fourth largest
potato-producing region in the country, pro-
ducing potatoes for all four of the major mar-
kets: chip, fresh, seed and processed.”
Originally established to work for its mem-
bers in the areas of research, promotion, mar-
keting, communication and legislation, offi-
cials for the organization say that 70 years
later its mission largely remains the same.
In addition to supporting the tenets listed,
the NPPGA publishes a magazine called
Valley Potato Grower to provide producers
with research and information.
The NPPGA operates two research sites,
one for non-irrigated potatoes near Grand
Forks, N.D. and an irrigated site near Inkster,
N.D. Both sites are made available to researchers from North Dakota State University, the
University of Minnesota and the USDA.
In February, NPPGA hosted the NPC
Leadership Institute, a conference that starts
in Grand Forks, N.D., where it evaluates key
issues in a growing region, and then moves to
Washington, D.C. for lobbying training and a
brief on public policy.
PEAR BUREAU NORTHWEST
usapears.org;
The Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) was
established in 1931 as a nonprofit market-
ing organization to promote the fresh pears
grown in Washington and Oregon.
Today, the U.S. is the third largest pear-producing country in the world, according to
PBN W officials, and Washington and Oregon
comprise the nation’s largest pear growing
region, with nearly 1,600 growers producing
84 percent of all fresh pears grown in the U.S.
Pears grown in these two Pacific Northwest
states are distributed under the USA Pears
brand and supported by PBNW.
PBNW provides promotional materials and
marketing and communication support for
nationwide, regional and international retail,
foodservice;and school foodservice programs.;
The Milwaukie, Ore.-based organization
hosts a website dedicated to fresh pears
at; usapears.org,; with sister sites dedicated to
retail and foodservice trade found respectively
at; trade.usapears.org; and; foodservice.
usapears.org.
;Recently, the American Heart Association
certified that the Green and Red Anjou USA
Pears are a heart healthy food, which the orga-
nization is now working to promote. “PBNW
is utilizing this new certification to educate
retailers, nutrition professionals and consum-
ers about the many health benefits of incor-
porating more pears into meals and real food
snacks,” says Kathy Stephenson, marketing
communications director for PBNW.
;
UNITED STATES POTATO BOARD
uspotatoes.com
The United States Potato Board (USPB) is the
U.S. potato industry’s marketing and promotion board. Its mission is to strengthen
demand for potatoes, say officials for the
Board, based in Denver.
“To strengthen this demand, we must
inspire consumers, customers and the industry to approach potato consumption and
production in innovative ways,” says David
Fairbourn, manager, industry communications and policy for the USPB.
“The Board is also very focused on changing consumers’ and others perceptions of the
health benefits of potatoes,” he adds. This
includes making sure that the public understands potatoes’ health benefits, including the
fact that they contain more potassium than
any other vegetable or fruit, which may help
reduce risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
The USPB represents the commercial potato
production that occurs in more than 35 states,
with roughly 2,500 potato farming operations. The potato industry is specialized in its
production, whether growing potatoes specifically for retail, foodservice, or to be processed
into chips, frozen products or dehydrated
