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You say potato, I say potato tour
Potato tour, similar to beauty contest, showcases healthy cloned, crossbred spuds
Ashley Clark
October 8, 2008
It's a little bit like a potato
beauty contest.
And it ends today.
The 2008 Pacific Northwest Tri-State Potato Tour, in Aberdeen, Idaho - which kicked off on Sept. 17 - toured through several spots in Idaho and Oregon, including Corvallis.
While the idea of a group of potatoes going on tour may seem comical, this is no joking matter.
These potatoes, from Oregon, Washington and Idaho, are cloned and crossbred to help create a new breed of potato more resistant to frost, disease and pests.
"It's a tour for people who want to see the new types of potatoes that breeders have come up with," said Julie Collins, a senior in soil resource management.
The tour is somewhat of a beauty contest for these potatoes; but instead of being judged on poise, grace and the ability to wear a bikini, judges of the tour look for healthy potatoes - ones you would want to buy on the shelf at a grocery store.
There were over 50,000 different types of potatoes at this year's tour - far more contestants than any Miss Universe pageant.
The tour is a chance for farmers from in the tri-state region to show off their best and brightest young spuds.
It's a conference to share information between people in the field.
"People get stuck in their own farms. It's a chance for farmer's to take a look at what others are doing, to get a new perspective." Collins said.
When the tour passed through Corvallis, it was held at the Lewis-Brown Horticulture Farm. This is a research farm for the OSU department of agriculture.
According to the horticulture website for OSU, "the plantings and field laboratories at these locations are used in field plot research work."
The farm consists of 115 acres and grows all kinds of fruits and vegetables.
The tour ends on Oct. 7 in Klamath Falls.
While in Klamath Falls, the tour will focus on early breeding, specialty and russet potatoes.
Each stop on the tour focused on a different aspect of the potatoes, to create a well-rounded conference.
And it ends today.
The 2008 Pacific Northwest Tri-State Potato Tour, in Aberdeen, Idaho - which kicked off on Sept. 17 - toured through several spots in Idaho and Oregon, including Corvallis.
While the idea of a group of potatoes going on tour may seem comical, this is no joking matter.
These potatoes, from Oregon, Washington and Idaho, are cloned and crossbred to help create a new breed of potato more resistant to frost, disease and pests.
"It's a tour for people who want to see the new types of potatoes that breeders have come up with," said Julie Collins, a senior in soil resource management.
The tour is somewhat of a beauty contest for these potatoes; but instead of being judged on poise, grace and the ability to wear a bikini, judges of the tour look for healthy potatoes - ones you would want to buy on the shelf at a grocery store.
There were over 50,000 different types of potatoes at this year's tour - far more contestants than any Miss Universe pageant.
The tour is a chance for farmers from in the tri-state region to show off their best and brightest young spuds.
It's a conference to share information between people in the field.
"People get stuck in their own farms. It's a chance for farmer's to take a look at what others are doing, to get a new perspective." Collins said.
When the tour passed through Corvallis, it was held at the Lewis-Brown Horticulture Farm. This is a research farm for the OSU department of agriculture.
According to the horticulture website for OSU, "the plantings and field laboratories at these locations are used in field plot research work."
The farm consists of 115 acres and grows all kinds of fruits and vegetables.
The tour ends on Oct. 7 in Klamath Falls.
While in Klamath Falls, the tour will focus on early breeding, specialty and russet potatoes.
Each stop on the tour focused on a different aspect of the potatoes, to create a well-rounded conference.
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