07/13/07 Washington potato industry hosting EPA folks

Farm and Ranch July 13, 2007 Each year the National Potato Council conducts a tour for Environmental Protection Agency personnel somewhere in the U.S. This year it's Washington state's turn. Karen Bonaudi, Assistant Executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission, says nine people from the EPA will arrive Monday for the three-day tour which begins Tuesday. Bonaudi: "What we will show them is all the facets of potato production so they get a good idea of how things happen and what it takes to make them h happen. These are the people who write the regulations for chemical applications to potatoes and some of them have never been on a farm." So those among the things the EPA regulators will see are growing potatoes, fertilizing, crop protection practices, processing and fresh potato packing. And Bonaudi says some parts of the tour are a real hands on experience. Bonaudi: "We are going to make them set siphon tubes. They give us the formulas for applying pesticides for example. And what our guys are going to do is make them do the math. Okay here is one circle. How much are you going to put down?" In addition to the EPA personnel, various congressional and state legislative staff people may be on the tour as well. The National Potato Council is the advocate for the economic well-being of U.S. potato growers on federal legislative, regulatory, environmental and trade issues. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network