State's Irish potato growers approve assessment program

Commercial Irish potato growers in a nine-county area in the northeastern part of the state agreed to renew an assessment program that supports promo-tional and research work of the N.C. Potato Association Inc.

"It's encouraging to see this referendum pass unanimously," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. "Promotion and research are absolutely necessary to continue market development for our growers."

Ballots were mailed in March to all known commercial potato growers in Beaufort, Camden, Carteret, Currituck, Hyde, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Tyrrell and Washington counties. The program will continue to support promotion and research work of the N.C. Potato Association. Under the renewed assessment, potato growers will continue to pay 1 cent per hundred weight of potatoes sold. The effective period of the assessment will be 2012 through 2017.

Funds are collected by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and turned over to the N.C. Potato Association's Board of Directors. The funds are administered by the board, which is composed of growers representing counties in the assessment program.

For more information, contact Tommy Fleetwood at the NCDA&CS Northeast Marketing Center at 252-331-4773.