12/30/05 Studying impact of potato cooperative

12/30/05 Studying impact of potato cooperative

Farm and Ranch December 30, 2005 One of two five-thousand dollar grants from the Washington Department of Agriculture will be used by the Washington State Potato Commission to study the economic impact of the United Fresh Potato Growers of America. That's the national grower cooperative created last year. Matt Harris, Potato Commission Director of Trade says the state grant will continue the work of University of Idaho agricultural economist Joe Gunther, who provided material for a challenge this year to British Columbia's anti-dumping duties on fresh Washington potatoes. Harris: "And so we wrote a grant to continue that work and to look at what's happening right now in the current market, and examine the effect of the United Growers of America, the supply management system and how that should help level out that price. And the premise of this is to show in 2010 when the next CITT review will take place that the United Growers of America is a valid organization, which they questioned at that trial." Harris says the Canadian Tribunal questioned the validity of the growers cooperative because it was so new and had little history behind it, but this study will document the cooperatives impact on the market thru its supply management. 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.
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