Eye on Potatoes: A Podcast on All Things Potatoes

Join us for a special episode dedicated to the Potato Leadership, Education and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF [https://pleaf.org/])! Launched in January 2020 at Potato Expo, Potato LEAF is shaping the future of U.S. potato production through impactful leadership and educational programming, born from a vision to establish a long-term funding mechanism for the industry's growth. In this episode, we'll dive into the five-year history of Potato LEAF, explore how collaborative leadership has driven its success, and celebrate the incredible results of its inaugural Founders Society Campaign, which surpassed its $2 million goal even amidst the challenges of COVID-19. We're honored to host three influential voices from Potato LEAF's journey: * Larry Alsum, President and CEO of Alsum Farms and Produce. As National Potato Council President in 2019, Larry provided the foundational recommendation to create Potato LEAF for leadership development and education. He'll share insights into the genesis of this vital organization and give us a peek into his Wisconsin farm, a stop on this year's Leadership Institute. * Gregg Halverson, Chairman of the Board for Black Gold Farms and current Chair of Potato LEAF. Gregg will discuss the foundation's current initiatives and future direction. * Mike Wenkel, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer of Potato LEAF. This podcast is possible 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 [https://www.syngenta-us.com/crops/potatoes/] to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.

Nathan Gonzales is Editor & Publisher of Inside Elections [https://insideelections.com/], which provides nonpartisan analysis of campaigns for Senate, House, governor, and president. He's also co-host of the Inside Elections Podcast and an Elections Analyst for CQ Roll Call.  During the 2025 NPC Washington Summit, we sat down with Nathan to talk about the political trends coming out of the 2024 elections, the latest innovations and challenges shaping the future of political campaigning, and how the political chessboard has been rearranged for 2025 and beyond.  This podcast is possible 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 [https://www.syngenta-us.com/crops/potatoes/] to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.

U.S. EPA has made a concerted effort over the past several years to come into compliance with its obligations under the Endangered Species Act. Much of its efforts are driven by what is referred to as the Mega Suit by environmental groups, which are forcing deadlines on EPA to meet its obligations. During Potato Expo 2025, we sat down with two policy experts to talk about what the implementation of EPA’s strategy will mean for growers. Guests:  * Mike Aerts, Vice President of Science and Regulatory Affairs, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association * Mike Wenkel, Chief Operating Officer, National Potato Council This podcast is possible 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 [https://www.syngenta-us.com/crops/potatoes/] to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.

During the 2025 NPC Washington Summit, we caught up with Brett Jensen, the newly elected National Potato Council Vice President of Trade Affairs. We chatted with Brett about his operations in Idaho Falls, his previous chairmanships of the Idaho Potato Commission and Potatoes USA, and how his background supports his role in leading NPC's trade advocacy efforts.

On April 9, President Trump announced he would pause "reciprocal" tariffs on dozens of non-retaliating countries for 90 days while raising duties on China to 125%. Responding to the news, NPC CEO Kam Quarles and industry consultant Matt Lantz jumped on the podcast to discuss the rapidly changing environment around tariffs, how our industry's top export markets are reacting, and some new opportunities they are seeing for reaching new consumers throughout the world.  Guests:   * Matt Lantz, Senior Vice President, Global Access at Bryant Christie, Inc. * Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council This podcast is possible 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 [https://www.syngenta-us.com/crops/potatoes/] to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.