MSU Potato Specialist Chris Long and why I am craving potato chips

I love my job here at Michigan State University (MSU). Yesterday, I was continually reminded just how much by spending the day with MSU potato specialist Chris Long in Montcalm County, Michigan. What was forecast as a rainy, dreary day was instead oh, so enlightening.

At its very core, telling stories is my job, and Chris Long is just one chapter in the book of why Project GREEEN, the initiative I serve as communications manager, really works. You see, Chris is employed by MSU Extension, but funding for his position really represents the public/private/university partnership that Project GREEEN was created to address. GREEEN and MSU Extension funding cover half of Chris’ salary, and the other half comes from the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, the commodity group that represents Michigan potato growers.

Chris is charged with bringing the freshest and most relevant research, education and outreach from MSU and potato experts around the world to Michigan growers.

Chris spent the morning showing GREEEN’s communications intern, Joe, and I around the Montcalm Research Farm and a few commercial potato farms and storage facilities.

Everywhere we went, Chris’ hand lifted in a casual wave to the farmers working in their fields and the cars and trucks driving by us.  We visited one farmer who has several rows of new potato varieties that Chris and the MSU potato research team hope will prove to be as productive and profitable in a large, commercial setting as they have been in the research field.

Michigan potato variety trials.

Along with lots of new potato variety trials, we saw and learned about weed management experiments, emerging insects hiding on the back of a potato leaf and the unique challenges of storing potatoes until they are needed.

Colorado Potato Beetle larvae hiding out under a leaf.

Like I needed one more reason to love potatoes? Seeing Chris interact with growers and industry representatives was inspiring. We even had a serendipitous meeting with State Representative Mike Huckleberry, who was touring the Potato Commission’s storage facilities. Now, more than ever, we need our legislators to know just how integral agriculture is to Michigan’s economy. I’m so glad we got to tell the GREEEN, MSU Extension and Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station story.

Left to Right: Chris Long, Representative Mike Huckleberry and Michigan Potato Industry Commission Executive Director Ben Kudwa.

There is more than one picnic in my Fourth of July weekend plans. And Lay’s potato chips, a major purchaser of Michigan potatoes, is definitely on the menu. You can even use their  “Chip Tracker” to find out where your potato chips started their journey toward your mouth. It’s very possible they started in Michigan, perhaps at Walther Farms.

What about you? What Michigan products are on your Independence Day menu?

One thing is certain. I won’t ever look at potato salad, mashed potatoes, french fries or potato chips the same way again. Thanks, Chris.

Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs) is Michigan’s plant agriculture research initiative housed at Michigan State University.