04/07/05 New spud acreage buyout program

United Fresh Potato Growers of Idaho is leading the charge to reduce acreage this year or as CEO Jerry Wright puts it& WRIGHT "We have to act and we have to move decisively to take control of our future. If we don't we will have another year like we had last year." United of Idaho is proposing a nationwide acreage buyout patterned after dairy's successful CWT program. Bids must be into United's Idaho Falls office by next Monday. WRIGHT "For growers that are planting less than what they planted last year they can bid in acres and on a competitive basis we will pay them essentially to take those acres out of production." That reduction would be based on the 2004 FSA acreage. So where does United get the money to pay for this? Not from Uncle Sam, that's for sure. Its all grower dollars. WRIGHT "Some states are funding it with a checkoff as in Idaho. Other states are funding it with an acreage assessment. But we have Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and even Wisconsin is organized now and participating in the program." Wright says the industry could have twelve million hundred weight of excess potatoes this year unless acreage is cut. All United of Idaho board members are voluntarily cutting their acreage but won't take any of the buyout money. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott