A bill to get rid of grades and standards? It’s my K-12 education dream come true!
Wait: Senate Bill 13 would “repeal certain provisions concerning potato grades and standards.”
Oh well. We got rid of the State Potato Inspector in 2013. We might as well stop grading the potatoes. And since Mike Rounds’s “South Dakota Certified Beef” idea flopped, we might as well get rid of the “South Dakota Certified Seed” designation for potatoes.
In 1915, South Dakota produced 7,820,000 bushels of potatoes worth $2,737,000 from 68,000 acres of potato fields. In 2012, what the potatoes South Dakota produced, combined with vegetables, melons, and sweet potatoes, were worth $2,186,000. We don’t even make the USDA’s list of potato-producing states, where the smallest potato acreage listed is Rhode Island’s at 700. And my favorite potato chips, Dakota Style, are still off the market after the February 2016 fire at their Clark factory.
http://openprairie.sdstate.edu/agexperimentsta_bulletins/176
This could easily become the most watched and controversial bill in the legislatures this year.
Grudz, I’m sure you will be taking a personal interest in any bill that could affect your gravy tators.
But would not the repeal of this law also have a potential negative impact on “Freedom Fries” and the maintenance of their quality assurance standards?
Not sure I has ever seen a red spud produce white blooms. Usually they are pink or red blooms.
http://seedcert.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/potato/earlygenpotatoprodcert.pdf
Doc- you are needed here. Page 2 talks about nukular potato seed stock. Do they glow in the dark?
Seed cerification appears to be rather important, gut we know how a certain political party feels about regs.
Just pulling yer leg, Doc. Different type nukular stuff goes on with spuds.
Senate Ag and Nat. Resources eagerly awaits your testimony, Grudz.
JKC, clearly the French have infiltrated the state Ag Dept. To the barricades!
Man, I hope we see Dakota Style potato chips on the shelf again in 2017. Or are they potatoe chips? Quayle!
The article on the potato history here in South Dakota, was a very good read. I was unable to fine White Harvest or Acme as being still available. There was a mixture called Bordeaux that was used as an insecticide that was interesting. I had never heard of that nor had I ever heard of Paris Green as its main additive. Good reading. Why did they fall out of favor for agriculture here is what I am not seeing.
Good one Mike!
Seed irradiation in agriculture does still occur, but at the moment I think more biotech is involved with the engineering of desired traits.
Irradiation is more random in nature and produces different results than biotech…so in that sense it still has a place.
Mr. Larson, I have a deep personal interest in this law bill. However, I should not need to remind you that when potatoes are chopped and fried in a hash of brown manner the quality of the potatoes matters less than the quality of the gravy. Now, I am not saying that the quality of the potatoes does not matter, but what we really need is more gravy inspectors.