http://stationerytrendsmagazine.com/index.php/news en bills@spudman.com Copyright 2012 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:53:45 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/truck-weight-reform-falls-short/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/truck-weight-reform-falls-short/#id:15924#date:21:53 The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) held a hearing of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, commonly known as the highway reauthorization bill. The hearing lasted 18 hours and resulted in a "marked up" version of the draft bill presented by Chairman John Mica, R-Fla. The bill would have given states the option to increase the weight limit of trucks on federal interstates from a current limit of 80,000 pounds on five axles to 97,000 pounds on six axles. An amendment passed by a vote of 33 to 22, removing the… Spudman Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:53 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/oregon-growers-honored/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/oregon-growers-honored/#id:15923#date:21:23 Oregon Potato Commission presented the inaugural Oregon Potatoes Goodness Unearthed Gold Medal Awards at the Washington/Oregon Potato Conference. Dan Chin Farm's won the red potato award for its French Fingerling. The yellow potato award went to POR02PG37-2, a new variety from Klamath Basin Extension and Research Center, to be released through PVMI, in 2012. The Russet Potato Award went to Strebin Farms for their Russet Norkotah and the Specialty Potato Award went to Dan Chin Farm's for its Klamath Pearl. Spudman Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:23 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/idaho-growers-honored/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/idaho-growers-honored/#id:15922#date:21:20 Potato Growers of Idaho (PGI) honored Randy and Karlene Hardy, of Oakley, with their PGI Grower of the Year Award. Randy and Karlene celebrate their 40-year wedding anniversary in June. They have five children and 26 grandchildren. Randy is the chairman of Sun Valley Potato Growers Inc., a grower-owned cooperative. Dirk Parkinson, of St. Anthony, also was honored with the PGI Seed Grower of the Year award. Spudman Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:20 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/colorado-grants-available/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/colorado-grants-available/#id:15883#date:18:20 To help develop and promote the state's specialty crops, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is seeking proposals for the Specialty Crops Block Grant Program. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, and nursery crops including floriculture and sod. The grant program is funded through the USDA, which partners with state departments of agriculture to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop producers in areas such as marketing, promotion, education, research, trade and nutrition. "The department must submit a request outlining projects to the USDA in order to receive these funds," said Tom… Spudman Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:20 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/olsen-receives-award/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/olsen-receives-award/#id:15882#date:18:01 Lynn Olsen Sr., 72, of Othello, received the 2012 Industry Leadership award from the Washington Potato Foundation during the 2012 Washington/Oregon Potato Conference. Olsen is a former chairman of the Washington State Potato Commission. He was president of the National Potato Council in 1995. Olsen and his wife, Marthann, have been married for 50 years. They have two sons, Lynn II and Chris. Spudman Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:01 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/berce-receives-maine-award/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/berce-receives-maine-award/#id:15879#date:15:58 The Maine Potato Board selected Brandon Berce, of St. Agatha, as its Young Farmer of the Year for 2012. The 28-year-old Berce farms with his father, Ned, and his brother, Niklas, in the heart of the St. John Valley. Berce Farms grows seed potato varieties for Frito-Lay. Brandon serves on the Maine Potato Board's seed growers' executive council and he is a member of the Central Aroostook Young Farmers. In 2002 the Berce family was selected as Farm Family of the Year. "The selection of the Young Farmer of the Year covers a number of… Spudman Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:58 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/epa-fines-oregon-potato-company/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/epa-fines-oregon-potato-company/#id:15870#date:01:17 The Oregon Potato Company has been fined $66,235 by EPA for failing to report an anhydrous ammonia release at its Warden, Wash., facility. On July 2, 2009, the plant released approximately 300 pounds of anhydrous ammonia into the environment, according to the EPA settlement. The facility produces dried and dehydrated frozen potato products.   Spudman Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:17 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/npc-criticizes-usdas-school-lunch-plan/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/npc-criticizes-usdas-school-lunch-plan/#id:15869#date:01:16 In a press release, John Keeling, executive vice president and CEO of the National Potato Council, criticized USDA's newly released school meal regulations. "U.S. potato farmers are pleased that USDA recognizes the importance of increasing the overall consumption of vegetables by children," Keeling wrote. "However, we are concerned that, just as in the proposed regulations, USDA's final rule falls short of giving schools flexibility in the breakfast program to meet nutritional goals within their constrained budgets. The rule's prescriptive nature in promoting certain groups of vegetables over others will increase costs while handcuffing local schools'… Spudman Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:16 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/new-valent-biosciences-facility/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/new-valent-biosciences-facility/#id:15868#date:01:13 Valent BioSciences Corp. announced that it will begin construction of a state-of-the art manufacturing facility in Osage, Iowa, with a groundbreaking ceremony slated for March 16. Valent BioSciences, based in Libertyville, Ill., said the $146 million building will be the first full-scale manufacturing facility designed and constructed specifically for production of biorational products. Biorationals, designed from natural or biological origins, are used in agricultural, public health and forestry applications. "We're obviously very pleased thus far with our progress in Iowa," said Mike Donaldson, Valent BioSciences president and CEO. "This is the largest and most important… Spudman Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:13 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/basf-moving-subsidiary-stopping-gm-development/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/basf-moving-subsidiary-stopping-gm-development/#id:15867#date:01:11 In an effort to concentrate its plant biotechnology activities on the main markets in North and South America, BASF is moving its BASF Plant Science headquarters from Limburgerhof, Germany, to Raleigh, N.C. Research and development activities will be concentrated in Raleigh, Ghent, Belgium and Berlin, Germany. Development and commercialization of all products targeted solely at cultivation in the European market will be halted. This includes the genetically modified starch potatoes Amflora, Amadea and Modena, as well as Fortuna, a potato resistant to late blight. BASF will continue the regulatory approval processes for products already started.… Spudman Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:11 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/deadline-extended-for-conservation-program/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/deadline-extended-for-conservation-program/#id:15707#date:13:40 The USDA's National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced that the deadline for producer applications for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has been extended to Jan. 27. The Conservation Stewardship Program is a voluntary stewardship incentives program, administered by USDA's NRCS, designed to reward farmers, ranchers and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation on working lands, as well as for the adoption of additional conservation measures that provide multiple environmental benefits that run beyond the farm or ranch. This program pays producers for clean water, better soil management, improved habitat, energy efficiency, and other natural… Spudman Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:40 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/pavelskis-earn-npc-stewardship-award/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/pavelskis-earn-npc-stewardship-award/#id:15633#date:21:00 Dick and Jeremie Pavelski of Heartland Farms in Hancock, Wis., were presented with the prestigious 2011 Environmental Stewardship Award at the National Potato Council's (NPC) 2012 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. The annual award is a component of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, a partnership between NPC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to protect the environment and promote the safe and effective use of pesticides. Heartland Farms was recognized for its sustainable water management practices, including the use of low horsepower irrigation pumps to reduce power usage, soil moisture probes, and low-pressure irrigation systems… Spudman Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:00 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/npc-elects-2012-officers/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/npc-elects-2012-officers/#id:15589#date:18:42 The National Potato Council's executive committee officers for 2012 were selected in Orlando, Fla. during meetings following the Potato Expo. The officers are: • President: Steve Crane, Exeter, Maine• Immediate past president: Justin Dagen, Karlstad, Minn.• Vice president of grower and public relations: Jim Tiede, American Falls, Idaho• Vice president of trade affairs: Randy Hardy, Oakley, Idaho • First vice president and vice president of legislative and government affairs: Randy Mullen, Pasco, Wash.• Vice president of environmental affairs: Dan Lake, Ronan, Mont.• Vice president of finance and office procedures: Dwayne Weyers, Monte Vista, Colo.For more information, visit http://www.nationalpotatocouncil.org. Spudman Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:42 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/reports-from-potato-expo-2012/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/reports-from-potato-expo-2012/#id:15550#date:14:44 A record number of attendees found their way to Orland, Fla., this week for POTATO EXPO 2012. The event featured several days of networking, trade shows and educational sessions for potato industry members from around the country. Spudman's Bill Schaefer was on hand to cover the meetings and events this week and will be publishing reports, videos and photo galleries from the show as they're available. Be sure to check our website and find us on Facebook in the coming days and weeks for coverage from the show. In the meantime, please check out Spudman… Spudman, Vegetable Growers News Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:44 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/syngenta-to-match-fmsc-donations-at-potato-expo/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/syngenta-to-match-fmsc-donations-at-potato-expo/#id:15476#date:22:43 Syngenta will collect monetary donations for the Feed My Starving Children organization during the Potato Expo in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 4-6. The company also will match donations made at its booth, #314, dollar-for-dollar up to $2,500. FMSC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian organization dedicated to feeding malnourished children around the world.   Spudman Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:43 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/potatoes-post-largest-increase-in-average-retail-sales-during-third-quarter/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/potatoes-post-largest-increase-in-average-retail-sales-during-third-quarter/#id:15380#date:20:46 Potatoes showed and 11.6 percent increase in dollar sales among the top ten vegetables during the third quarter of 2011 compared to third quarter sales in 2010 according to statistics released by the United Fresh Produce Foundation. Potatoes also showed an 18.2 percent increase in average retail prices resulting in a 5.6 percent drop in volume for the third quarter of 2011 compared to the third quarter 2010 statistics. Spudman Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:46 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/michigan-announces-soil-fumigation-management-plan-update/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/michigan-announces-soil-fumigation-management-plan-update/#id:15379#date:20:43 During the fall of 2011 Michigan potato growers implemented Phase 1 of the new soil fumigations process mandated by the new labels. Phase 1 includes development of a soil fumigation management plan and a post-application summary report for every field treated. Final information regarding Phase 2 of the new labels will be available spring 2012. This phase includes buffer zone information. A new Michigan publication entitled, "Potato Soil Fumigation: A Field Guide to Fumigant Management Plans With Special Reference to Potato Early Die in Michigan (2011 review edition)" will be available Feb. 1, 2012. For… Spudman Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:43 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/deadline-approaches-for-csp-applications/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/deadline-approaches-for-csp-applications/#id:15373#date:15:41 The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced that the deadline for producer applications for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) will be Jan. 13. The CSP is a voluntary stewardship incentives program, administered by the USDA's NRCS, designed to reward farmers, ranchers and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation as well as to adopt additional conservation measures. The program pays producers for clean water, better soil management, improved habitat, energy efficiency and other natural resource benefits. CSP is a continuous sign-up program and producers can apply to enroll at… Spudman Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:41 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/syngenta-awards-scholarship/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/syngenta-awards-scholarship/#id:15368#date:19:06 Stephanie George, a senior at East Valley High School, in Moxee, Wash., is the 2011 recipient of the $5,000 Syngenta Potato Scholarship. George plans to major in science when she enrolls in college.George, a member of 4-H, will be recognized at the upcoming Potato Expo Jan. 4-6 in Orlando, Fla. The $5,000 scholarship honors students pursuing careers in agriculture in key potato growing states.Judges for the competition were Eric Tedford and Coby Long of Syngenta, Bill Schaefer of Spudman, David Fraser with the United States Potato Board, Hollee Alexander with the National Potato Council and… Spudman Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:06 GMT http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/sipcamadvan-appoints-ceo-and-joint-chief-operating-officers/ http://spudman.com/index.php/news/release/sipcamadvan-appoints-ceo-and-joint-chief-operating-officers/#id:15367#date:19:00 SipcamAdvan, based in Durham, N.C., has announced the appointment of Giovanni Affaba to SipcamAdvan as CEO and chairman of the board. Based in Milan, Italy, Affaba also serves as the Sipcam-Oxon Group managing director. The company also announced the appointments of Adam Burnhams and Andrew Bodane to joint chief operating officers. In these new roles, Adam and Andrew assume the day-to-day operations of the Sipcam Agro USA family of companies in the United States. Adam will be the chief commercial lead, overseeing marketing, sales, development and regulatory. Andrew will take the lead for finance, supply… Spudman Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:00 GMT