The 2019 WA/OR Potato Conference and Trade Show is here!

Plan a girls day outing and buy your friends or family members tickets to the 2019 NW Women’s Show in Tacoma, WA! This year's show will feature everything from cooking to beauty products, you don’t want to miss it…even Mario Lopez will be in attendance! WSPC staff and commissioners will be exhibiting at the show, in fact, we are teaming up with several chefs who will give one-hour cooking demos for the potato loving crowds

Don't miss your chance to win an all-expense paid trip to the 2019 Washington School Nutrition Association conference in Spokane! 

WSPC Commissioners and staff members had a blast, serving FREE baked potatoes in the Field House at the 2019 Apple Cup! The hungry crowds loved our product and were able to head over to the game with warm full bellies on the snowy evening.

Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center (CB Tech) located in Moses Lake held their fourth annual “Potato Day”. This year potato day was extended into a 3-day event. approximately 1,600 fifth grade students from the Moses Lake, Soap Lake, Royal, and Othello school districts came to participate.

Without a doubt, potatoes are a great option for athletes, health enthusiasts, or on-the-go families. Check out the Potato Monthly Food and Nutrition newsletter below for more information on nutrition science, food policy, labeling and safety.

Don’t forget to stop by the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center for the Reheated: Baked, Mashed or Fried Potato Art Show. This gallery is a revamp from the museum’s previous annual potato art show “Baked, Mashed or Fried”.

French Fries often get a bad reputation and are labeled as non-nutritious food. We are here today to prove that reputation wrong! According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, French Fried potatoes can be apart of a healthy diet when eaten in moderation. Just like any other form of potatoes, French fries deliver important nutrients like fiber and potassium.

This upcoming September 8th hop in the car and head to Columbia Park in Kennewick for one last summer road trip. Take your kids to a fun and education filled event at Riverfest 2018! Riverfest 2018 helps to educate parents and kids on how navigation, irrigation and power help run the dams that are so important to our agriculture process.

This week, WSPC staff traveled to Los Angeles, California for the Western Food Service and Hospitality Expo. The three-day convention featured everything from healthy foods to coffee. Staff members were able to speak with chefs, distributors, restaurant owners, school system employees, and TV show hosts. WSPC staff passed out free potato peelers, recipes, and information to over 6,000 people! 

Last week, school meal program employees gathered at the Tacoma Convention Center to attend the annual Washington School Nutrition Association Conference. This event allows attendees to participate in nutritional classes and learn about new products that can be incorporated into school meal menus!

…and that’s a wrap! WSPC has officially completed our summer FryDay program. Over the last two months, we have had the opportunity to travel across the state and share FREE Washington fries with excited community members! We visited many different cities on our tour including Moses Lake, Redmond, Ritzville, Othello, Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley, Leavenworth, and Quincy.

As many of you already know Friday, July 13^th was National French Fry Day!! How did you spend your Friday? WSPC staff members spent our day passing out FREE Washington Fries in Sedro-Woolley, WA! The shoestring fries donated by Lamb Weston were a crowd favorite. 

After several months of preparation, WSPC kicked off our Powered by Potatoes campaign at the 11th annual ChelanMan Triathlon in Chelan, WA! The purpose of this race is to come together as a community to support healthy lifestyles for our youth, families, and athletes. As a sponsor WSPC had the opportunity to share information, recipes, and athletic gear with more than 1,400 athletes in Chelan last weekend.

In Washington, the agriculture industry is responsible for creating nearly 36,000 jobs and contributes $7.4 billion dollars to the economy. Clearly there are many different job opportunities in the agriculture industry, but today we are going to focus on the job of an agronomist. Agronomists are also known as crop production specialists or crop scientists.