Public potato organization could go private

Feb 11, 2026
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

The Minnesota Area II Potato Research and Promotion Council was established in 1991

A state-funded ag organization wants to go private.

The Minnesota Area II Potato Research and Promotion Council provided the Minnesota Department of Agriculture with a formal notice of its intention to transition to a privately funded and operated producer organization.

As a state-supported organization, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture collects the checkoff fees.

The council was formed on April 19, 1991, to fund research projects benefiting potato producers.

Over time the council has supported research on soil health, fungicide evaluations, row spacing trials, and more.

Under state law, the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the potential transition.

That will take place on Feb. 25 at 18438 Co Rd 14 in Big Lake, Minn.

That address will take participants to Ewing Farms.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9am with council’s board prepared to meet and vote at 10am.

Interested Minnesotans can also join the public hearing virtually or by phone (1-651-395-7448, phone conference ID: 395 610 316#).

If the board votes to terminate, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture would no longer provide oversight of the organization.

And those changes would be effective as of July 1.

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

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