News Release

Leaders recommend suspension of PGI activities

BLACKFOOT, ID — The Executive Committee of the Potato Growers of Idaho has voted to recommend to its membership that the organization suspend all activities by December 1, 2001. A general membership meeting has been called for August 8 at 1:00 p.m. at the West Coast Hotel in Pocatello to vote on the proposal. The group could see no alternative due to declining membership and lack of support from the grower community. Membership has declined recently due to growers going out of business.

If the recommendation is approved by the general membership almost all PGI activities will be suspended. They include: contract bargaining, newsletters, representation at industry meetings, annual meetings, political lobbying, and all other grower representation currently done by PGI. No dues will be collected from the 2001 crop if this action is adopted.

A committee including PGI members and nonmembers met recently to discuss future alternatives. They propose a new grower organization with three divisions: frozen process contract growers, fresh growers, and seed growers. If PGI activities are suspended it may open the way for a new organization to be formed. Many contract growers have recently indicated a desire for their own organization, independent of fresh grower influence. It was the threat of pending resignations from numerous process growers that led the executive committee to believe that there was no way to keep the organization funded and effective.

In an ongoing survey, the majority of respondents favor the creation of a grower organization funded by the Idaho Potato Commission, which all growers would pay into. The Commission says this would put other programs at risk that are vital to the potato industry. The grower membership will have the opportunity to discuss these and other opportunities before making the determining vote on the future of PGI on August 8.

During the past year PGI has once again become the only organization bargaining frozen process contracts in Idaho. PGI also successfully helped organize PMC's self-diversion program and lobbied hard for a government paid diversion. Together these diversions have helped raise the open market price from less than $1.00 per cwt. to over $5.00. PGI also played a key role in the following successes: The elimination of personal property tax on farm equipment, saving the famous Idaho potato on state license plates, the U.S. Supreme Court decision to reverse the line item veto, adoption of the state certified seed law and preventing worse truck taxes.

The PGI Executive committee regrets that this step had to be recommended. Several growers expressed concern about the years of hard work that so many leaders have contributed for the past forty years to build the Potato Growers of Idaho organization.