We must close door on destructive crop diseases

Idaho leads the nation in potato production, producing far more potatoes than are consumed in the state.

This enables Idaho potato producers to sell one in every six rows of Idaho potatoes to people in other countries, according to data from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. But, in order to maintain strong Idaho potato production and keep these markets open, we must be vigilant in ensuring we are not importing crop diseases threatening Idaho’s production. I recently co-led an effort requesting U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack increase protections against importing potatoes with potato wart from Canada. 

Potato wart is a highly destructive disease that can reduce yields and make potatoes unmarketable both within the U.S. and in foreign markets. Potato wart are present in Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI), which led to Canada’s suspension of potato exports from PEI to the U.S. in November of 2021. However, USDA resumed importation in April 2022 after a meeting between President Biden and Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau.