The Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF) encourages Washington potato growers and industry partners to consider applying for the 2026 Leadership in the Field: From Battlefield to Potato Field program, a nationally recognized leadership experience designed to strengthen the future of our industry.

Potato growers who treat seed on-farm have an opportunity to contribute to important new research aimed at advancing industry knowledge while supporting the continued safe and effective use of seed treatment technologies in U.S. potato production.

Washington state’s Refrigerant and Air-Conditioning Management Platform (RAMP) has completed recent system updates, and all functions are now available. Growers and facility operators can now register facilities and submit required annual reports through the platform. This update is particularly relevant for potato storage facilities that fall under the state’s medium facility category.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $1 billion in Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) Program assistance for specialty crops and sugar, commodities not covered through the previously announced Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program. These one-time bridge payments will help address market disruptions, elevated input costs, persistent inflation, and market losses from foreign competitors engaging in unfair trade practices that impede exports

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is opening the enrollment period for the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, providing $11 billion in one-time bridge payments to row crop producers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced enrollment dates for 2026 Continuous and General Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), offering Washington producers opportunities to put marginal or environmentally sensitive acres to work through conservation. Offers for CRP will be accepted by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Washington State University (WSU) is conducting a survey titled Insect Pest Management Practices: National Survey of Potato Growers as part of a large multi-state research project aimed at better understanding U.S. potato growers’ experiences, decision-making, and perspectives related to insect pest management including concerns about regulatory uncertainty and potential restrictions on neonicotinoid use.

Washington State University’s Department of Plant Pathology has announced the hiring of its newest faculty member, Dr. Vinicius Garnica, who will join the department on June 16, 2026