Washington, D.C. – At the National Potato Council’s (NPC) 2014 Annual Meeting, held January 10-11, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas, Randy Hardy of Oakley, Idaho, was elected to serve as NPC’s president for 2014 and to lead the council’s Executive Committee.
Hardy, owner of Hardy Farms located in south-central Idaho, works the family farm with his son Ben and his wife Karlene, who serves as the farm’s secretary/treasurer. Hardy took over the operation at the age of 19 after his father’s sudden passing. For the past 20 years, he has been involved in the activities of the United States Potato Board (USPB), serving as its chairman in 2006-07, and NPC, where he was first appointed to the Board of Directors in 2008 and, most recently, served on the Executive Committee as the Vice President of Trade Affairs.
In accepting the position, Hardy noted that the activities of potato industry make a difference. “My involvement with the National Potato Council has shown me that we, as an industry, are better positioned to have an impact on national agricultural policy than ever before, but we need to do better. We need to share with our friends and neighbors who are involved in agriculture that we need their voice. We need them to help us tell our story,” said Hardy.
Hardy took the lead of an organization his uncle and mentor, Idaho potato farmer W.B. Whiteley, presided over in 1955-56. He and his wife have five children, Rachelle, Charlotte, Ben, Jaclyn, and Kristen, and 27 grandchildren, Katy, Brittany, Nicolas, Liz, Jakob, Zoe, Alex, Jeffrey, Melissa, Andy, Jonathan, Allison, Joseph, Emily, Ashley, Zach, Gavin, Sophie, Dallin, Nicole, Ethan, Natalie, Greg, Heidi, Jason, Josh, and Riley.
NPC’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors are comprised of U.S. potato growers nominated by their state organizations and elected by their peers. As president, Hardy will host the 2014 NPC Summer Meeting, June 25-27, in Sun Valley, Idaho.
The National Potato Council is the advocate for the economic well-being of U.S. potato growers on federal legislative, regulatory, environmental, and trade issues. NPC supports the U.S. potato industry by monitoring issues affecting the strength and viability of the potato industry, influencing regulators and legislators on issues crucial to the industry's long term success, ensuring fair market access for potatoes and potato products, and bringing the unique issues and interests of diverse growing regions in the U.S. together on a national level.
Source: The National Potato Council