CONTACTS:
Jennifer Miller at 850-6504 or Keith Esplin at 785-1110

An organic potato field day will be held at Sunset Butte Organics from 10 am to 3 pm Monday, August 8. The farm is located west of Buhl, Idaho.

Sales of certified organic foods have been growing by 20% in recent years and more farmers are considering the opportunities in organic production. Last summer, the Idaho Potato Commission and Potato Growers of Idaho held an informational meeting on the opportunities in organic potatoes.

In June, Potato Growers of Idaho, University of Idaho researchers, organic potato farmers, the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides and Idaho State Department of Agriculture met to consider the needs of new growers transitioning to organic potato production. To help possible transitioning growers, the group decided to hold a field tour on organic potato farming.

This tour provides an opportunity for potato growers considering transition to organic potato production to learn about the certification process and the organic potato cropping system. The field day will include the following topics:

• Mike Heath and other Magic Valley organic potato growers will discuss rotation crops, fertility, pest management and marketing.
• A former organic inspector, John O'Connor, will discuss what to expect during an on-farm inspection.
• University of Idaho researchers Mir Seyedbagheri, Juan Alvarez and Nora Olsen will share their work on organic potato fertility, beneficial insects and organic sprout inhibitors.

A lunch featuring local organic beef, fruits, and vegetables will be provided. Please RSVP by August 3, 2005 with Keith Esplin at 785-1110 or pgike@cableone.net or Jen Miller at 850-6504 or millerjen12@aol.com.

The tour is sponsored by Potato Growers of Idaho, the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides and Rural Roots. Support for this field day also comes from the following businesses: Frontier Natural Products Co-op, Magic Valley Compost, Mountain States Oilseeds and Pillar Butte Seed.

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