Futbol and Potatoes

I’ve been watching a some of the World Cup soccer matches and I have to confess that I have a new-found appreciation for the game of soccer. I marvel at the agility and quick footwork of the players. There’s a lot of athleticism and stamina required to run up and down the pitch for 90 minutes plus the additional time they add at the end of the game.

The World Cup is truly a global event, and watching the fans’ patriotic fervor and hysteria during one of the games, it occurred to me that we in the potato industry could learn a lesson from this quadrennial event.

Like soccer, or futbol, depending on your idiom, potatoes share a worldwide appeal. It’s the global markets we need to explore and expand into.

This month we have a story from our long-time contributor from Maine, Voscar. For more then 35 years Voscar has been profiling and photographing potato growers for Spudman. In this issue he profiles Gregg Garrison, the Maine Potato Board’s 2009 Young Farmer of the Year.

There have been some new developments recently announced for sprout inhibitor treatments. Read about it in our complete July/August issue.

Have you registered for the July 29 webinar on Optimizing Potato Storage? The University of Wisconsin’s AJ Bussan will be leading the seminar. You’re going to want to hear what AJ has to say on ventilation management systems for preventing shrink and reducing pressure bruises.

Finally, the editorial side of Spudman goes on a temporary hiatus. The September/October issue is our Buyers’ Guide. You won’t be hearing from me again, at least in print, until the November/December issue.

However, we will continue to report on issues and trends online at Spudman.com and our electronic newsletter, eSpudman. I encourage you to visit us online and stay informed at our online sites.

Here’s to a safe, warm summer and a good harvest to all of you.