AgBioResearch

This story is part of a series highlighting the impact of MSU AgBioResearch’s work with Michigan agriculture and natural resources told through our stakeholders' perspectives. Through partnerships with the State of Michigan and industries, MSU AgBioResearch is finding solutions to some of the most timely problems facing our state. To view the entire series, visit agbioresearch.msu.edu.

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — When Dr. Kelly Turner considers what Michigan State University research means to the state’s potato growers and consumers, the message is simple.

“MSU research is not a luxury. It’s a necessity,” said Turner, executive director of the Michigan Potato Industry Commission (MPIC). “Continued public investment in research ensures that Michigan agriculture can solve the problems of tomorrow, today.”

Like those of other crops, Michigan potato growers face a number of threats, from diseases and insects to competition from other states. Turner’s role with MPIC is to position the industry to thrive now and into the future through fostering grower collaboration, building research partnerships and promoting the industry’s efforts publicly to ensure economic prosperity.

For decades, MSU scientists have worked alongside potato growers to address their most pressing challenges. Potato breeding, disease, insect and weed control, and input recommendations have been vital to the industry.

With backing from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, MSU AgBioResearch and MSU Extension administer programs such as Project GREEEN, which is geared toward solving immediate problems, and the Agricultural Resiliency Program, an effort focused on long-term issues related to water and extreme weather.

These programs, in addition to other industry, state and federal funding, are an important asset for growers as they seek to keep their operations profitable.

“Without this support, growers would face more risk, have fewer tools and see a reduced ability to compete in the market — not just at the state level, but we’re talking at a global level,” Turner said. “It would stifle innovation, threaten economic stability of rural communities, and likely undermine our ability to adapt to climate, market and regulatory pressures. Continued funding is a commitment to the future of Michigan agriculture and to the families, businesses and communities that it sustains.”

Dr. Karl Ritchie, agronomist at Walther Farms who refers to himself as “the science guy” of the operation, said potato growers rely on independent research from MSU to help make informed farming decisions. Walther Farms is a third-generation family farm that began in 1946. Today, it’s headquartered in Three Rivers, Michigan, but operations now span eight states.

Along with producing fresh potatoes, Michigan is the No. 1 producer of U.S. chipping potatoes. Farms such as the Walther’s provide chipping potatoes to processors, and the end result is some of the most popular snacks across the state and beyond.

Better Made Snack Foods is a Detroit staple, stocking the shelves of regional stores with its potato chips since 1930. Phil Gusmano, vice president of purchasing at Better Made, said MSU research is a major component of ensuring there are ample potatoes for processing year-round.

Below is a Q&A with Ritchie and Gusmano, detailing their experiences with MSU research.

What makes MSU research unique?

• Ritchie: There is a lot more collaboration in this state than what I’ve seen in others. The access to MSU specialists is extremely unique. All of the researchers and Extension specialists I’ve worked with have been to the farm and walked the fields with us, and that’s really meaningful.
  
  
• Gusmano: MPIC helps coordinate communication among all of the players involved. That’s what’s unique in Michigan, and I haven’t seen another industry that takes into consideration all aspects from conception to finished product in such a way. MSU helps to foster that with the attention to understanding how important agriculture is in the state, giving researchers the tools they need. What makes MSU special is the people doing the research and the collective knowledge they have, and the ability to perform under the ever-changing circumstances.

What specific outcomes or benefits do you expect from MSU research?

• Ritchie: We rely a lot on unbiased, independent studies. This information gives us insight on what we can do with cultural practices and/or crop protection chemistries, just as an example. We’re relying on independent research in real-life field conditions, which is so critical. We can’t depend on research from other states that don’t share our unique Michigan characteristics.
  
  
• Gusmano: Potato breeding through the efforts of Dr. Dave Douches have been critical. Being able to retain the quality standards while also listening to industry needs has been exceptional. The fact that we don’t have to buy fresh potatoes in April, May and June from other states is a great thing for us. When we used to have to do that, the supply chain went from 150 miles to 1,500 miles, and the cost of shipping from southern states was roughly 40% to 45% of the cost of the potato. Now, we are cooking last year’s Michigan potato crop all the way through mid-July, which would have been unheard of just 10 years ago. What MSU and Dr. Douches have done has extended the season and the ability to use Michigan potatoes, which has an impact that many people don’t realize. Farms are able to supply potatoes almost year-round, which keeps people employed at the farm, too. The economic impact through potato research is phenomenal, and that has a direct correlation to MSU research.

Can you share examples of when MSU research has positively affected the industry or has helped it overcome a looming challenge?

• Ritchie: There are almost too many to list, and I don’t want to leave anyone out. Dr. Kurt Steinke (soil fertility and nutrient management) has helped us tremendously with input recommendations. Dr. Zsofia Szendrei (insect management in vegetables) has helped us with Colorado potato beetles especially. They have become a significant problem. We also send a lot of disease samples to Dr. Jaime Willbur (potato disease management), and that’s very unique to Michigan in terms of studying problems like late blight. Potato early die caused by nematodes is something we’ve talked to Dr. Marisol Quintanilla about, and she’s been very helpful. We’ve been looking a lot at herbicide-resistant weeds as well, which has been something Dr. Christy Sprague and Dr. Erin Burns have helped with. Of course Dr. Douches’ work with breeding has been critical, and we grow some of the varieties created right at MSU. Finally, Chris Long’s work brings this all together, and he knows our farm and recommends trials we can implement. It’s a wonderful network of professionals all aimed at helping our farm.
  
  
• Gusmano: One specific example of benefit is with disease-resistant potato varieties. Input costs are less, so growers don’t have to worry as much about fungicide applications. That saves a lot of time and money, and it’s a direct result of the breeding program and Dr. Douches.

How do you measure the value of MSU research in contributing to industry priorities?

• Ritchie: The neat thing about local research is that it’s very nimble. Sometimes we change the priorities as needed, and MSU is very quick to adapt to that. We couldn’t possibly get that if we were relying on research from other states, certainly not in a timely manner or tailored to our specific needs.
  
  
• Gusmano: MSU researchers are very interested in what the industry has to say. In many cases, they’re attending the same events we’re attending, and we have great conversations. An example of their responsiveness is that over time, the size of packaging has shrunk. Packaging is a very expensive component in our process. As packaging costs increase, we looked to shrink the amount we use. If we’re making a 1 oz. bag of chips, for example, it’s difficult to use large potatoes. One of the things we talked about with MSU is that we need varieties that yield a lot of tubers that are smaller, roughly the size of a baseball and not the size of a grapefruit. Prior to that interaction, researchers were looking at quality, and now they’re fully aware of those requirements we have for other agronomic traits. And we’re also looking at how it benefits the entire process. We want a potato that can make the best chip for the consumer, but if it yields less per acre, that’s a problem for growers. MSU has been very cognizant of how all of these things affect each tier of the process.

What would you say to legislators to advocate on behalf of continued research funding? What would it mean not to have this funding support moving forward?

• Ritchie: I’d say that it’s not optional. We need this research. We’d lose a lot of the competitive advantage we have in Michigan without it. For example, we have abundant water in our state, which means we need to leverage that asset. When I initially moved here from Idaho, I reached out to Idaho folks, but it wasn’t nearly as good as it is to have fine-tuned recommendations here in Michigan. We have to be cutting edge, so we are focused on the production side of things at the farm. MSU handles the applied research, and we can’t touch the quality of that research when we’ve tried to do it on our own. It’s invaluable to us.
  
  
• Gusmano: I’ve gone to Lansing and Washington D.C. on behalf of the industry, and I can tell you we talk about the importance of agriculture, particularly in our case in an urban environment. We talk about importance of agriculture jobs. Better Made Snack Foods is in the City of Detroit proper, and without the potato research we have for the industry, there are 300 jobs that wouldn’t be here. We advocate with our legislators on the importance of research and how it directly impacts their constituents. Without MSU research, the viability of the potato industry would be in serious question. The work MSU does is paramount to the potato industry because many of the varieties are used not only in our state but around the country and the world.

Michigan State University AgBioResearch scientists discover dynamic solutions for food systems and the environment. More than 300 MSU faculty conduct leading-edge research on a variety of topics, from health and agriculture to natural resources. Originally formed in 1888 as the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU AgBioResearch oversees numerous on-campus research facilities, as well as 15 outlying centers throughout Michigan. To learn more, visit agbioresearch.msu.edu.