Washington State Potato Commission
The Mission of The Washington State Potato Commission:
The mission of the Washington State Potato Commission is to support an economically and environmentally sustainable Washington State potato industry by providing strong leadership and innovation, and building partnerships to meet the demands of global consumers.
About Washington State Potatoes
Widespread potato production in Washington State is a relatively recent phenomenon. Currently, potatoes in Washington are grown primarily in eastern Washington and the Skagit Valley. The climatic conditions, rich volcanic soil, availability of water and long growing season result in Washington State producing the world’s highest potato yield per acre. Though the number of commercial growers numbers approximately 300, together they plant more than 160,000 acres annually, harvesting averages of 30 tons per acre, twice as much as the average yield in the United States. Washington State produces 20 percent of all U.S. potatoes.
F.A.R.M. Certifies in Three Distinct Areas:
Animal Care:
The FARM Animal Program establishes dairy animal welfare management guidelines, which are verified by both trained second and third party evaluators. This system provides the data and proof points to assure dairy customers and consumers that dairy farmers do the right thing for their dairy cows because it’s the right thing to do. The second-party evaluation is completed on every participating dairy at least once every three years. This evaluation provides dairy farms with an external review of their animal care practices based on FARM Program guidelines, highlighting the best management practices followed on the dairy and providing a method of continuous improvement where additional opportunities are presented.
Environmental Stewardship:
The FARM Environmental Stewardship module provides a comprehensive estimate of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy use associated with dairy farming. The tool is based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) of fluid milk conducted by the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas, incorporating data from more than 500 dairy farms across the United States. The FARM ES module asks a set of questions to assess a farm’s carbon and energy footprint –providing reliable, statistically robust estimates.
Antibiotic Stewardship:
The U.S. dairy industry is committed to producing safe, abundant and affordable milk and dairy beef of the highest quality. Healthy animals mean safe food, and disease prevention is the key to keeping cows healthy. Among the measures available to treat and prevent the outbreak and spread of animal diseases in the nation’s dairy cattle, the responsible use of antibiotics has a positive effect on animal health and well-being while keeping the milk supply safe for everyone. When dairy animals get sick and treatment is necessary, producers and veterinarians use drugs judiciously. Antibiotics should be used appropriately to prevent residues from occurring in milk or dairy beef sent to market.
