Lora Abcarian -- The Produce News -- December 10, 2007
As one of the nation’s larger potato producers, Washington continues to explore transportation options that facilitate the movement of its annual crop into the pipeline. The abundant supplies of quality potatoes are more than enough to meet the needs of Washingtonians, and Karen Bonaudi, assistant executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, said congestion along the state’s highway system has stakeholders looking at potential solutions.
“Railex has a really made a difference to rail service in Washington because it provides a guarantee,” Ms. Bonaudi told The Produce News.
The service is available to growers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California.
Operating out of the Port of Walla, Walla, WA, Railex’s transloading facility operates two 55-railcar trains leased from Union Pacific, one originating in Washington and the other originating in Rotterdam, NY. Product is transported over 2,000 miles of track between the two locations. Potatoes continue to be one of the largest volume fresh commodities transported. The company provides a three-day guarantee delivery time and provides free storage in New York until product is picked up.
Rail Logistics, headquartered in Kansas, provides yet another transportation option with the Produce Rail Car program. Ms. Bonaudi said Rail Logistics operates its rail car pool off a main line of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The system has not been as widely used as Railex, but has provided relief to small potato companies who have had problems securing trucks.
Mike Begnaud, who coordinates the railcar pool program, said, “Again this year, potatoes — fresh, dehydrated and hash brown — and frozen fruit and frozen veggies are the bulk of the shipments. November [finished] strong with orders into December. Some customers [are] beginning to look at the first quarter, knowing they can depend on railcar supply.”
Congestion at Washington ports is a subject of continuing conversation. During the last session of the Washington Legislature, Ms. Bonaudi said a proposal was submitted which would have imposed a $50 fee per 20-foot equivalent unit on cargo containers. In the case of potato exports, she said the assessment could have easily reached $100 per container.
“This would have been a strain on exporters,” she said. “[Producers] were very upset.”
The proposal failed to move forward, and Ms. Bonaudi said a stakeholders’ group was created earlier this year. Potato producers Darrin Morrison of Smith & Morrison Farms in Mount Vernon, WA, and Jared Balcom of Balcom & Moe, Inc. in Pasco, WA, are members of the task force. Ms. Bonaudi is an alternate for Mr. Balcom.
“It became obvious it was too complicated to solve in six months,” Ms. Bonaudi said the issue. The next legislative session begins in January.
The commission continues to help streamline the process of third- party audits for potato producers. Executive Director Chris Voigt noted, “In the last couple years, customers have expressed an interest in agricultural sustainability. Sysco was the first company to require third-party audits. There is interest from some other customers.”
As a way to eliminate logistics nightmares for companies, the commission is working on a standardized program for the Washington potato industry that will eventually be turned over to a third party.
According to Mr. Voigt, WSPC looked at 12 different certification programs to develop standardized parameters. “ The program would be all-encompassing and address sustainability issues such as water use, employee training and pesticide management.
“We’ll roll it out to the industry,” Mr. Voigt went on to say “An important piece is the education piece.” The program, he indicated, would answer a range of producer questions from how growers can develop sustainable farming practices to how they can document everything needed for a third-party audit.
Development of this new program comes at a time when the U.S. Department of Agriculture is requiring producers who sell to the federal government to be GAP-certified.
Concern relating to potato seed availability is also coming to the forefront. Mr. Voigt said there was a golden nematode finding in two fields in Alberta, Canada. According to Mr. Voigt, approximately 30 percent of seed potatoes purchased by Washington growers comes from the Canadian province.
“We know this is already affecting growers in Florida and Georgia,” he said.
Last year, a soil testing protocol was developed after the same pest was found in a commercial seed field in Quebec. “That’s when the two fields tested positive in Alberta,” Mr. Voigt explained. USDA was notified last October, and extensive grid testing was conducted.
According to Mr. Voigt, the testing did not yield any nematodes. The border is currently closed to seed potato importation, and Mr. Voigt said, “We certainly hope it opens soon.” Washington growers begin planting operations in February.
Officials in the United States and Canada agreed to do traceback and traceforward to see how extensive the nematode problem might be. “We need some more investigation work,” Mr. Voigt said. “If it is contained in those two farms, the border could be opened up. It affects so many growers around the country.”
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