Who will sing praises to the potato? This guy will

Wednesday April 2, 2014 12:01 AM

By Teresa McMinn

Whether they're volunteers who want to help feed the hungry, or high-tech companies that work to improve farming success rates, Bob Leiby hopes more Pennsylvanians will take an active role in growing potatoes.

"It's really a good, productive crop," said Leiby, a speaker at Penn State Extension's recent Potato Day held at Schnecksville Grange Hall in North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County."

About 60 local potato farmers attended the event, sponsored by Penn State Extension, Lehigh County Pennsylvania Co-operative Potato Growers Inc., and Lehigh Valley Potato Growers Association. The meeting included discussions on soil health, ways to prevent and treat pests and disease, and the latest potato technology.

But Leiby encouraged regional farmers to plant more potatoes, noting they are high in fiber, vitamin C and potassium. He cited programs such as The Potato Project in Richmond Township, that encourages the greater community to learn more about agriculture. The project, a faith-based ministry founded six years ago by Walt and Linda Zawaski, raises potatoes for neighbors in need, Last year, nearly 1,400 volunteers helped the Zawaski's organization harvest and donate more than 202,000 pounds of potatoes to area food banks and pantries.

The project will plant more than 12 acres of potatoes this growing season, down form 18.5 in 2013, said Zawaski, executive director of the program. If it does, it will increase the acreage of potatoes grown in Berks County by nearly 50 percent, according to National Agricultural Statistics Service data, which showed less than 22 acres for Berks County in 2012.

And this year, the group will add something new - roughly 4 acres of carrots, he said. As the program grows, string beans also may be added to the crop list.

"We need a harvester to do that," Zawaski said. "If we can successfully do string beans, we will do sweet corn."

April 26th and 27th at 1PM, the project will host a spring seed potato cutting sessions.

"Anybody's welcome to come out," Zawaski said. "We need all the help we can get."

In the near future, potato yields may increase. Penn State's Leiby cited research being conducted by Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Co., which is developing potato varieties resistant to diseases such as late blight.

"It takes so long to use conventional breeding," he said.

Leiby also talked of resources for growers including a service offered by Penn State Extension to calibrate air blast and boom sprayers.

He also promoted CHEMSWEEP, the state Department of Agriculture program established to help farmers safely dispose of hazardous chemicals. The program has collected more than 2 million pounds of waste pesticides since it was created in 1993, according to the department's website.

Contact Teresa McMinn: 610-371-5025 or country@readingeagle.com.

Web: http://IHartHarvest.dyndns.org www.facebook.com/potatoproject eMail: ihartharvest@gmail.com Ph: 484-648-0381

Original report edited by -/wz