February 6, 2015
2,000 to 3,000 acres
to be in 2015 crop
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
KENNEWICK, Wash. —
The J.R. Simplot Co. plans
to keep its GMO potato in a
“closed-loop” system while
it builds industry accep-
tance, a company represen-
tative says.
The system will ensure
the potatoes don’t go out-
side controlled farms or
anywhere else by accident,
said Kerwin Bradley, direc-
tor of commercialization
for Simplot. Seed grown by
Simplot on controlled farms
will go only to licensed
growers. The potatoes then
will go to isolated pack-
ing sheds, which will not
provide them to non-GMO
market channels.
Bradley spoke about the
company’s plan to release
its GMO potatoes, called
Innate, during the Washing-
ton-Oregon Potato Confer-
ence in Kennewick, Wash.
Simplot received USDA
approval for the first gen-
eration of Innate potatoes
in November, and is going
through the voluntary Food
and Drug Administration
process, Bradley said. The
company expects to receive
approval from Japan and
Canada this year.
The company believes it
is “absolutely critical” for
the potato industry to em-
brace the innovation and ap-
ply it to potatoes in a mean-
ingful way, Bradley said.
Innate potatoes use DNA
from wild or cultivated po-
tatoes to improve the Rus-
set Burbank, Ranger Rus-
set, Atlantic and Snowden
varieties. The first release
of Innate potatoes do not
brown when cut, have re-
duced black spot bruising
and have a 50 to 70 percent
reduction in acrylamide,
a compound created when
potatoes are fried and that
has been possibly linked to
cancer. Simplot is commit-
ted to the Innate technology
for the long haul, he said. It
also committed to releasing
it in a way that it will not
disrupt the non-GMO seg-
ment of the industry, Brad-
ley said.
“A significant concern is
what happens when a potato
that’s GMO that’s been ap-
proved for use in the U.S.
gets into a country where
it’s not approved,” Bradley
said. “In order to ensure that
you don’t get those kinds
of disruptions, you go into
those other countries and
get approvals for your pota-
toes to be sold there, too.”
Simplot hopes to get ap-
provals in 80 to 90 percent
of its export market.
About 400 acres of In-
nate potatoes were planted
Matthew Weaver/Capital Press
Kerwin Bradley, director of
commercialization for Simplot,
speaks about the Innate potato
Jan. 28 during the Washing-
ton-Oregon Potato Conference
in Kennewick, Wash.
in 2014. That will increase
to 2,000 to 3,000 acres in
2015, Bradley said.
The second generation
of Innate potatoes, with late
blight resistance and low
sugar traits, is being consid-
ered by USDA for approval.
The third generation will
have potato virus Y resis-
tance and more late blight
resistance.
5
OSU touts effort to improve rural life
By ERIC MORTENSON
Capital Press
PORTLAND – Oregon
State University’s commit-
ment to improve life in rural
Oregon will includes major
expansion of its forestry and
marine sciences programs and
strengthening the statewide
system of agricultural and for-
est research and extension sta-
tions, President Ed Ray said.
Ray, in Portland Jan. 30 to
deliver his “state of the uni-
versity” address, met after-
ward with the Pamplin Media
Group’s editorial board and the
Capital Press.
He said Oregon State’s for-
estry, marine science and oth-
er initiatives are in line with
Gov. John Kitzhaber’s goal of
bringing economic prosperity
to a wider slice of the popu-
lation. Rural Oregon has not
fully shared in the economic
recovery enjoyed by urban ar-
eas such as Portland, Ray said.
In 2017, OSU will open
a $60 million forest science
complex that will focus on
research and development of
Eric Mortenson/Capital Press
Oregon State University President Ed Ray says the university’s ag,
timber and marine science programs directly benefit rural Oregon.
advanced wood products that
can be used in high-rise build-
ings, Ray said. The center will
increase the value of Oregon’s
wood products and restore
jobs to rural areas where nat-
ural resources are located and
can be milled.
Money for the forestry cen-
ter will be split between $30
million in state bonding and
$30 million in private fund
raising. Ray said OSU’s wood
products expertise could be
paired with the University of
Oregon’s School of Architec-
ture and Allied Arts
An anonymous donor has
pledged $20 million toward
construction of a new building
at OSU’s Hatfield Marine Sci-
ence Center in Newport, Ray
said. Up to 500 students will
be studying at the center by
2025, and coastal communities
will benefit from the develop-
ment, research and education
associated with it, he said. The
governor has asked the Leg-
islature to match the gift with
$25 million in bonding author-
ity.
In another development
significant to rural Oregon,
the OSU-Cascades campus
in Bend will expand next fall
to accomodate four-year stu-
dents, Ray said.
On another front, OSU is
part of an 11-university alli-
ance working to increase ad-
mission, retention and grad-
uation rates for low-income,
minority and first-generation
students.
Ray said inequality in the
U.S. higher education system
is such that a student from a
family with an annual house-
hold income of $90,000 or
more has a 1-in-2 chance of
graduating from college, while
a student from a family mak-
ing $30,000 or less has only a
1-in-17 chance.
“We are in the process of
creating a country of haves and
have nots,” Ray said, “which
tears at the fabric of our so-
ciety and undermines our de-
mocracy.”
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6-5/#24
Simplot GMO potatoes
kept in ‘closed loop’
CapitalPress.com
Ring rot
sparks $1M
potato lawsuit
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
An Idaho potato seed pro-
ducer is accused of selling
spuds infected with bacterial
ring rot and causing more than
$1 million damages to an Or-
egon farm.
Allen Farms of North
Powder, Ore., has filed a law-
suit in U.S. District Court in
Idaho claiming that it plant-
ed 600 acre of potatoes with
infected seed purchased from
R. Lloyd Brothers of Grace,
Idaho, resulting in more than
$1 million in reduced yields,
equipment cleaning costs and
wasted inputs.
The lawsuit alleges that
the seed producer was negli-
gent and violated a contract
because there’s an “implicit
understanding” that seed po-
tatoes are supposed to be cer-
tified free of the disease.
The seed producer was
“either knowledgeable or
willfully ignorant” of the con-
tamination and is liable for
damages, Allen Farms claims.
A representative of R.
Lloyd Brothers declined to
comment on the case.
6-5/#4N