During the 55th Annual Idaho Potato Conference and Trade Show, scheduled for January 18–19 in the Pond Student Union Building on the campus of Idaho State University, the University of Idaho Extension will showcase the most recent news and research affecting the state’s most well-known crop.

Over a day and a half, close to 40 sessions will be provided, including several Spanish-language conversations. A local potato farmer is contributing Teton Russet potatoes for a brand-new baked potato bar that will be available on January 18 and feature a variety of toppings. Some lectures will be filmed and posted on the conference website so that attendees can watch them afterward.

In one session, new diseases affecting Idaho potatoes will be discussed, along with updates on ailments that haven’t yet been found in the state but could be dangerous.

Participants will learn about Rubbery rot, which UI Extension plant pathologist James Woodhall’s lab confirmed in cooperation with Duellman’s team for the first time in Idaho in 2019. Duellman is a specialist in UI Extension seed potatoes. Despite testing negative for pink rot and pythium leak, Duellman claimed the tuber samples, which were collected from an eastern Idaho potato storage, displayed symptoms resembling those of those illnesses.

Rubbery rot has also been confirmed in Michigan, North Dakota, and Minnesota in recent years.

“It seems to be associated with wounding, like some other storage diseases, as well as warmer or wetter-than-normal soils around harvest time,” Duellman said.

The potato wart and Ralstonia brown rot are two highly regulated illnesses that the industry wants to keep out of Idaho, according to Woodhall, who will talk about them in the same session.

Leaders from significant potato groups will also speak before taking part in a panel discussion, which is also on the agenda. They include Blair Richardson, CEO of Potatoes USA, Mike Wenkel, COO of the National Potato Council, and Jamey Higham, President, and CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission.

The potato variety development specialist for UI Extension, Rhett Spear, will speak about the chance for growers to get paid to try out eco-friendly agronomic methods. Spear is a participant in an Oregon State University-led USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Outcomes program. The project will develop climate-smart markets and accelerate the adoption of climate-smart management systems in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, with funding of up to USD50 million possible. One of the main commodities being looked into will be potatoes.

The funding, according to Spear, should encourage growers to diversify their crop rotations and educate themselves on the benefits of planting cover crops, which are primarily grown for their positive effects on soil health. Even though many acres have already been signed up, there is still financing for the initiative. About 2,000 acres of Idaho potato land, according to Spear, will be included.

Additional lectures will cover issues including succession planning, understanding farm stress, leasing property, irrigation, and controlling weeds and voles.