MONTE VISTA — At the 2025 Southern Rocky Mountain Agriculture Conference and Trade Show, Mike Wenkel, COO of the Washington D.C.-based National Potato Council, presented on the crucial role of potato growers in the agricultural landscape and issues confronting producers. 

The potato council has the motto, "Standing up for potatoes on Capitol Hill." 

Wenkel addressed the issue of tariffs: "In the last couple of days, we have seen tariffs go on with Canada, China, and Mexico, and we have a 30-day reprieve for Canada and Mexico."  

He said the group is focused on keeping potatoes as a vegetable under dietary guidelines and remaining in school breakfasts. 

In the potato export market, Wenkel said exports to Japan and Mexico are up, and aggregate potato exports to Mexico increased by $120 million last year. 

"When President Trump speaks about the trade deficit on all of the U.S. economy, $42.5 billion of that is agriculture. USDA is really concerned about that movement, and it is unclear how it will be reduced in the future. The tariff efforts can bring in revenue even though it is not actually a new product.” 

According to the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Mexico is the largest single source of U.S. Agricultural imports, representing 63% of imported imports in 2023, which were valued at $19.7 billion. 

The potato council is working with Japan to "get the fresh market open to table snack…it is a very similar battle to what we had with Mexico, trying to open that. Mexico has been open for two years, and I know that for the Valley, a significant market is in play." 

Last year, growers from Idaho came to the council seeking relief from overproduction in the fresh market, requesting that the council request a Section 32 market buy. That program is part of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935 and authorizes commodity purchases to support producers. Wenkel said the council was successful in its efforts to have the USDA make the purchases.  

Wenkel said that with the new Trump administration's policies toward agricultural workers who are in the U.S. illegally, "We don't know. We continue to monitor that. Our hope is in agriculture we believe that 80-85 percent of the U.S. agricultural workforce is very well documented, legally documented. What does that mean for our national security and our ability to produce food? We will continue to push and hopefully keep the ag workforce in place."  

"The Farm Bill will be a real challenge in this Congress to get it through; we are on our second extension of the bill, and it will expire on October 1, 2025. The farm bill is going to be an expensive piece of legislation because of increased costs of production and payments that have gone out," said Wenkel, who noted SNAP (formally called food stamps) comprises 85% of the farm bill, making it a significant concern for all stakeholders.