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January 9, 2015 CapitalPress.com 5 Farmer soars as TV’s potato pilot Fries shipped By JOHN O’CONNELL by air to save Japan market Capital Press IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — James Hoff is a fourth-genera- tion farmer, a third-generation pilot and a first-generation TV star. Both of his passions — ag- riculture and aviation — are featured prominently in the nationally televised commer- cial that’s made Hoff and his vintage biplane nearly as big as the Idaho Potato Commis- sion’s Great Big Idaho Potato truck. The first two IPC commer- cials in the series feature Cald- well grower Mark Coombs searching for the commission’s giant replica potato on a flat- bed truck, which has toured the country for the past three years raising awareness about Idaho spuds. In the third commer- cial segment, which debuted during this season’s inaugu- ral Boise State football game, Hoff — playing the role of an “actual Idaho potato farmer” — helps Coombs search for the missing truck from the sky in a 1943 Boeing Stearman bi- plane. “It’s been at least five air shows that have contacted us asking us if the plane can make an appearance,” said IPC Pres- ident and CEO Frank Muir, who’s received inquiries from other Stearman owners hoping to join Hoff in the next com- mercial, or at least display their planes with him at an air show. Hoff, of Idaho Falls, plans to accept at least one of the air show invitations. “It’s a neat privilege to be considered for something like that,” Hoff said. After its debut, the com- mercial returned to national cable TV in October and will continue running through the end of January. Muir said IPC invested roughly $200,000 to produce it and $3 million for the air time, but he’s confident it’s helped move potatoes. Muir — an adrenaline junk- ie who filled in for Coombs as stuntman during the most gut-wrenching maneuvers of the shoot — hoped to arrange a biplane fly-over during the national anthem at the recent IPC-sponsored Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise. Unable to get clearance for a civilian aircraft, the Air Force provid- ed F-15s and skydivers, who parachuted into Bronco Stadi- um holding the game ball, the American flag and the Idaho potato seal. Following IPC’s initial suc- cess with an aerial promotion, Muir insists he’s not ruling out companies’ suggestions about an Idaho potato blimp. Hoff’s family has been fly- ing almost as long as its been farming. His grandfather, Mark, By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press John O’Connell/Capital Press James Hoff, of Idaho Falls, sits in the cockpit of a 1943 Boeing Stearman biplane that he restored himself. Hoff and his plane have been invited to several air shows since he appeared in an Idaho Potato Commission commercial as an “actual potato farmer” piloting the aircraft in search of the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck. learned to fly in the 1930s and assisted the newly formed Civil Air Patrol in recruiting during World War II. The fam- ily built its first airstrip on the farm in the 1950s, enabling Mark to seed alfalfa from the sky. Hoff’s father, Bob, found- ed the company AeroMark in 1984, fueling and servicing aircraft at the Idaho Falls Re- gional Airport. Hoff and his family keep five small aircraft, including two Stearman biplanes, in the hanger on their farm, by a grass airstrip between farm fields. They routinely use the planes to survey their crops. Bob finished restoring the first Stearman in 1996. Hoff started on his plane in 2000 with two boxes of parts from a decommissioned Navy plane that was used as a crop duster into the 1970s. The Stearman — made of steel pipe, wood and fabric covering — was used as a military training air- craft in WWII, featuring sepa- rate open-air cockpits for the instructor and the student. Hamstrung by dock worker labor disputes at West Coast ports, Northwestern frozen fry manufacturers have shipped 1,000 tons of product to Japan by air, seeking to protect a crit- ical market, according to the Washington State Potato Com- mission. Matt Harris, the commis- sion’s director of governmental affairs, said the air deliveries were intended to bridge the gap while Japanese fry shipments were diverted to East Coast ports. Harris said another 1,600 tons of frozen fries have been shipped to Japan from the East Coast. Harris said Northwestern fry plants have scaled back pro- duction as a result of the labor problems. He said the airborne fry shipments originated from the Pacific Northwest. He’s uncertain which processor or processors manufactured the product. Fry processors con- tacted by Capital Press either didn’t return calls or deferred questions to the Washington State Potato Commission. Due to a shortage of fries re- sulting from the labor dispute, Harris said, 3,100 Japanese McDonald’s franchises restrict- ed customers to buying only a single order of small fries throughout much of December. “They were able to start bringing more product to their stores and returned to the larger fries,” Harris said. Oregon Potato Commission President and CEO Bill Brew- er said it cost about $1.50 per pound when he shipped by air samples of Oregon potatoes to a foreign market for evalua- tion. As costly as air freight is, Brewer acknowledges the im- portance of protecting the Jap- anese market, which buys the vast majority of its frozen fries from the Pacific Northwest. “Once you lose a customer, it’s very difficult to win them back,” Brewer said. “The num- bers I’ve heard are that our po- tato exports have been limited to 15-20 percent of normal. This port slowdown is costing our industry a fortune.” Panel to pick new WDFW director The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is sched- uled to select a successor to de- partment director Phil Ander- son on Jan. 10 in Olympia. Anderson, whose depart- ment manages the state’s wolf recovery plan, announced in August he would retire at the end of the year. The commission, a citizen panel appointed by the gov- ernor to oversee WDFW, in- terviewed eight candidates in December and selected four finalists for another round of in- terviews in January. The inter- views are closed to the public. The department has not identi- fied the finalists. The commission will con- vene for a daylong meeting at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at the Com- fort Inn Hotel and Conference Center, 1620 74th Ave. SW, in Olympia. The commission will re- convene 8 a.m. Jan. 10 and is scheduled to select a director then. During the two-day meet- ing, the commission will dis- cuss several fishing-related issues. An agenda is posted at wdfw.wa.gov/commission. 2-5/#4N