Chris Voigt: Advocating for Potato Growers in Washington State
Potato farming and processing are responsible for about $7.5 billion of economic activity and about 36,000 jobs in Washington State.
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and served as the FFA state president. What a wonderful experience that was for an 18‑year-old kid: Traveling around the state and staying with 70 different host families was a great snapshot of Americana. I studied agricultural economics at OSU and went on to work in the ag chemical business for about a decade. I worked for the National Potato Promotion Board for about 6 years, then worked for the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee for about 3 years, and now I’ve been the executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission for the last 15 years.
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about yourself and how you came to be in your current position.
Chris Voigt: The organization was formed back in 1956. The potato growers of Washington State got together and realized they could not each afford to do their own promotions in Chicago or to individually hire researchers, entomologists, and breeders. They decided to come together and jointly fund things like these. They went
Chris Voigt: I grew up in Oregon, went to Oregon State University (OSU), and I got my start in agriculture through FFA. I took a gap year between high school and college
8 | IRRIGATION LEADER | October 2021
Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about the history of your organization and its mission.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE WASHINGTON STATE POTATO COMMISSION.
otatoes are a mainstay of the food supply both in the United States and around the world. As the global population expands, so does the demand for food. This is the challenge farmers are striving to meet while also dealing with the aftermath of the COVID‑19 pandemic, increased costs of production, and labor and climate mandates. The Washington State Potato Commission is on the front lines of these issues and works daily to represent the interests of Washington State’s potato growers. In this interview, the commission’s executive director, Chris Voigt, tells Irrigation Leader about the importance of irrigation and water infrastructure to potato production, the crucial issues facing potato growers in the state, and the way the commission's members are rising to meet new challenges for the future.
