2025 Washington & Oregon Potato Conference General Schedule

Continental Breakfast – Three Rivers Convention Center, Kennewick

Potatoes USA Update, Blair Richardson, Potatoes USA

Federal and International Trade Update for the Potato, Kam Quarles, National Potato Council

Washington State Potato Commission Update, Chris Voigt, Executive Director, Washington State Potato Commission

Oregon Potato Commission Update, Gary Roth, Executive Director, Oregon Potato Commission

Harvesting Progress: The State of Water and Agriculture in Washington, Derek Sandison, Director, Washington State Department of Agriculture

Water for Crops: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities, Matt Harris, Assistant Executive Director, Washinton State Potato Commission

Sprout Control in Storage: A Review, Nora Olsen, University of Idaho, Kimberly

Contributions of Plant Pathology to the Potato Industry, Gary Secor, North Dakota State University, Professor

Insecticide Resistance Management of the Colorado Potato Beetle, Russ Groves, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Hosted Potato Bar, Trade Show, Convention Center

Physiological Aging Storage Treatments to Optimize Tuber Set Size & Size Distribution for Dakota Russet, Caribou Russet, and Laona in the Columbia Basin, Olufunke Ogundiya, WSU, Pullman

Skin Development in Tubers from the Columbia Basin, Jacob Blauer, WSU - Pullman

Potato Necrotic Viruses, Alex Karasev, University of Idaho, Moscow

Powdery Scab and Spongospora Biology, Kiwamu Tanaka, WSU-Pullman

Effects of Soil Fumigation and Cover Crops on Potato Yield and Soil Health, Ray Qin, OSU, Hermiston

Shaping a Climate Resilient Workplace: What Growers Need to Know About L&I’s Outdoor Heat and Wildfire Smoke Rules, Lorena Lopez, Labor and Industries

Research Update on Yellow Nutsedge Herbicide Efficacy Trials, Rui Liu, WSU IAREC-Prosser

Potato Mop Top Virus Research: Current Progress and Future Directions, Kylie Swisher, USDA-ARS, Prosser

Continental Breakfast – Three Rivers Convention Center, Kennewick

Do Healthier Soils Produce Better Potatoes? Results from On-Farm Studies, Steve Culman, OSU, Madras

Analysis of Historical Seed Acreage of Table Stock Cultivars, Max Feldman, USDA-ARS Prosser, WA

In-season Potato Fertilization: How Do I Interpret My Petioles, or Do I?, Mark Pavek, WSU, Pullman

Discussion on Bruise Management, Nora Olsen, University of Idaho, Kimberly

Direct Tuber Testing for Detection of Potato Pathogens, Chakradhar Mattupalli, WSU, Mount Vernon

Automated Identification of Plant-parasitic Nematodes of Potato at Genus Level, Cynthia Gleason, WSU, Pullman

Where Are the Nematodes? Sampling to Facilitate Nematode Management Decisions, Inga Zasada, USDA-ARS, Corvallis

A Systems Approach in Developing Improved Potato Varieties with Resistance to Columbia Root Knot Nematode, Sagar Sathuvalli, OSU, Hermiston

Incorporating RNAi Based Insecticides in Control Programs as Reduced-risk Tools, Russ Groves, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Hosted Luncheon, Convention Center

Introducing New Entomologists, Louis Nottingham, WSU Mount Vernon, and Armando Falcon-Brindis, University of Idaho, Parma

Palmer Amaranth and Other Emerging Weeds, Albert Adjesiwor, University of Idaho, Kimberly and Joel Felix, Oregon State University, Malheur

Response to EPA Rulings Regarding Pesticide Use in Consideration of the Endangered Species Act, Abigail Nickelson, Washington State Department of Agriculture

Assessment of Blackheart Resistance in Potatoes, Roy Navarre, USDA-ARS, Prosser

Blackleg: The Current Situation, Gary Secor, North Dakota State University, Professor

New Approaches to Potato Pest Management in a Changing World, Stuart Reitz, OSU, Malheur

The Brave New World of Insect and Nematode Control in Potatoes, Alan Schreiber, Agriculture Development Group, Eltopia, WA

Predicting Potato Plant Daily Water Use, Mark Pavek, WSU, Pullman