Idaho Falls Grower to Represent Idaho
On United States Potato Board

DENVER (March 24, 2009) Brett Jensen of Idaho Falls, ID, was seated as a Board Member on the United States Potato Board (USPB) at the organization’s 37th Annual Meeting, March 10-13, in Denver, CO. He was named to serve on the Board by former Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer on November 18, 2008, and formally begins his three-year term as of March 1, 2009, and ending on February 29, 2012. New Board Members serving on the USPB in their first three-year term can be reappointed to serve another consecutive three-year term.

Jensen learned the art of growing Russet Burbank potatoes for the fresh market from his father, Wayne Jensen. He then started farming on his own in 1994 after attending Rick’s College in Rexburg, Idaho, and Utah State University in Logan, UT. He also grows wheat, malt barley, alfalfa and corn. He is a District Chairman for the Potato Growers of Idaho (PGI).

Jensen’s wife is Kristy, and they have four children—Jace (age 13), Rylee (age 10), Brayden (age 7) and Karson (age 5). Jensen likes to spend time hunting, fishing and traveling with Kristy. They also enjoy participating with their children’s basketball, baseball and football teams.

Authorized under the 1971 Potato Research and Promotion Act, the USPB is composed of producers, importers and a public member appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Producer members are nominated at state and local producer meetings and by mail ballot. Each state is entitled to at least one producer member, and additional members are allotted on the basis of the volume of production. Importer members are nominated by importers, and the number of members is related to the volume of imports, up to a maximum of five importer members.

The USPB administers an industry-funded national research and promotion program to increase US exports and domestic potato consumption. USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service oversees the operations of the USPB. More information about the research and promotion programs is available at www.ams.usda.gov/FVPromotion.

###

David Fairbourn is Manager, Industry Communications & Policy, at the United States Potato Board in Denver. The mission of the USPB is to increase demand for potatoes and potato products through an integrated promotion program, thereby providing US producers with expanding markets for their production. David can be contacted at 303-369-7783 or david.fairbourn@uspotatoes.com. For complete information about the programs, ROI results, resources and tools available to all members of the industry through the USPB, please visit www.uspotatoes.com. The United States Potato Board—Maximizing Return on Grower Investment.