New Jersey Potato Growers host EPA Tour

During the week of August 26, the National Potato Council (NPC) led a delegation of 19 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff on a crop tour of New Jersey’s potato growing region. NPC's annual tour helps staff gain a better understanding of how the agency's policy decisions impact potato production and of the actions taken by growers to be good stewards of the environment.

The tour kicked off at Jim Coombs Farms in Elmer, N.J., where the staff were given an area overview by potato grower and member of NPC’s Board of Directors Jennifer Coombs-Kelly. Agency personnel watched a live demonstration of a potato digger and ground and aerial pesticide application practices. The stop concluded with the staff rolling up their sleeves and using shovels to dig their own potatoes.

Each summer, NPC joins with potato growers from a specific region to host a group from EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs. The goal of the trip is to educate the agency staff on the impact of regulatory actions on potato growing practices and also to tell the positive message of the U.S. potato industry’s collective effort to care for and protect the environment.