02/16/07 Double your business spud growers told

Farm and Ranch February 16, 2007 Could potato growers really double their business in the next ten to fifteen years? Ray Cesca, a former corporate official of McDonalds and now president of Global Alliances for Economic Advancement, believes so. Cesca: "I really believe that you can. With expansion of the hours that people eat and with the nutritional value of the products that you serve, promoting nutritional values. And then building in additional nutrients into the product like anti-oxidants, protein levels, low carbohydrates, I think you have a good message and it can be used as a carrier for that." Cesca, who was a keynote speaker at the recent Washington State Potato Conference, says the industry needs more research on product development to get on the new menus of fast food chains who are going 24/7 to meet the lengthened eating hours of today's consumers. Cesca: "And I think if you had research done on the different varieties of the potatoes grown in different climates, different soils, that have differences in nutritional value, those values need to be promoted in a simplistic language that the consumer can understand. I think that's where the future of potatoes is going." And when it comes to the promotion Cesca believes everyone from the grower to the restaurateur and retailer is responsible. That's where an alliance comes in. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.