National Potato Council

What National Potato Council does

The National Potato Council (NPC), founded in 1952 and headquartered at 50 F Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit trade association that serves as the sole national advocate for U.S. potato growers on federal legislative, regulatory, environmental, and trade issues. The organization represents commercial potato growers across all 50 states and coordinates with 13+ state potato organizations (including Idaho, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, and others) and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (200+ organizations), on whose executive committee NPC CEO Kam Quarles serves as co-chair. The U.S. potato industry NPC represents generates over $4.5 billion in annual farm gate value, supports more than 714,000 American jobs, and contributes more than $100.9 billion in broader economic activity through the supply chain.

NPC's core deliverables are not technology products but advocacy services and industry programs: federal policy advocacy before Congress, USDA, FDA, and USTR; the annual Washington Summit (direct grower engagement with Members of Congress); Potato Expo (North America's largest potato trade show with 1,800+ attendees from a dozen countries, 30+ educational sessions, and 180 exhibitors across 100,000+ square feet); the weekly 'Eye on D.C.' newsletter and biweekly 'Eye on Potatoes' podcast; the Potato Industry Leadership Institute; the Annual Potato Yearbook; and the EPA-USDA Farm Tour. The organization's revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership dues from state potato organizations and individual grower supporters, supplemented by Potato Expo exhibitor fees and corporate sponsorships across the potato supply chain. CEO Kam Quarles has led the organization since May 2019, with annual presidential rotations through grower leadership (Ted Tschirky in 2025, Ben Sklarczyk in 2026).

Name

National Potato Council

Legal name

National Potato Council

Website

https://nationalpotatocouncil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The National Potato Council is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1952 that advocates for U.S. potato growers on federal legislative, regulatory, environmental, and trade issues, coordinating with 13+ state potato organizations and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance. It also hosts Potato Expo, the Washington Summit, and industry communications programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Trade Association and Advocacy Services

NAICS

Potato Farming (111211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Farming & AgriTech Shows Organizers (THAHABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Starch Potato Farming (Industrial Potatoes) (AFAGAEAC), Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

Keywords

• Potato industry advocacy
• Agricultural trade association
• Federal legislative advocacy
• Potato industry events
• Specialty crop policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Grower Supporters: NPC generates revenue through membership dues paid by state potato organizations and individual grower supporters who join the organization to support advocacy efforts.
2. Potato Expo Sponsorships and Exhibits: The annual Potato Expo generates revenue through exhibitor fees, booth sales, and corporate sponsorships from companies across the potato supply chain.
3. Newsletter Distribution: NPC distributes the weekly 'Eye on D.C.' newsletter to industry and ag policy partners, building engagement and maintaining membership subscriptions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Potato Council is a nonprofit trade association that advocates for U.S. potato growers on federal legislative, regulatory, environmental, and trade issues. Its core offerings include federal policy advocacy on Capitol Hill, regulatory representation before USDA, FDA, and USTR, trade negotiation support, industry events (the Potato Expo and Washington Summit), the Eye on D.C. newsletter, the Eye on Potatoes podcast, the Potato Industry Leadership Institute, and the Annual Potato Yearbook. Membership is structured through state potato organizations and individual grower supporters.

Product overview

The National Potato Council operates as a unified advocacy organization for U.S. potato growers rather than a traditional product company. Its offerings include the Eye on D.C. weekly newsletter and Eye on Potatoes biweekly podcast for industry communications; the Potato Expo (North America's largest potato trade show) and annual Washington Summit for advocacy events; the Potato Industry Leadership Institute for professional development; and the Annual Potato Yearbook for industry statistics. These programs work together to support the potato industry's policy interests at the federal level.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eye on Potatoes Podcast: Biweekly podcast featuring conversations with growers and thought leaders on advocacy, production, and all things potatoes

Products and services

• Eye on D.C. Newsletter A weekly newsletter providing industry and ag policy partners with insights on NPC's advocacy efforts to improve the policy landscape in Washington, D.C. for potato growers.
• Eye on Potatoes Podcast A biweekly podcast featuring conversations with growers and thought leaders on advocacy, production, and all things potatoes, distributed via Buzzsprout and associated social channels.
• Potato Expo North America's largest potato industry conference and trade show, hosting U.S. and international potato supply chain partners for networking, education, and business development, with 1,800+ attendees, 30+ educational sessions, and 180 exhibitors across 100,000+ square feet of programming.
• Washington Summit Annual advocacy event where potato industry members meet with Members of Congress and the Administration to discuss federal policy priorities including Farm Bill, trade, labor, nutrition, and regulatory issues.
• Potato Industry Leadership Institute A 10-day leadership development program for potato industry professionals covering various aspects of the industry, designed to develop future grower leaders and association advocates.
• Annual Potato Yearbook An annual statistical report providing comprehensive data on the U.S. potato industry for growers, allied partners, and policymakers.
• EPA-USDA Farm Tour Educational farm tour program connecting EPA and USDA officials directly with potato growers to share regulatory perspectives and industry practices.
• Potato Expo Event Sponsorships and Exhibitor Booths Corporate sponsorships, exhibitor booth packages, and live auction offerings sold at Potato Expo to companies across the potato supply chain, generating core event revenue for NPC.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured $4 million in NIFA potato breeding research funding in FY25
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025NPC CEO Kam Quarles serves as co-chair of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance, a national coalition of 200+ organizations representing fruit, vegetable, tree nut, and horticultural product growers. SCFBA advocates for enhanced competitiveness of specialty crop agriculture and improved health of Americans through broadened agricultural public policy.
• Potatoes USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPotatoes USA is the marketing and promotion board for U.S. potatoes. NPC collaborates with Potatoes USA on industry-wide initiatives including export development, domestic marketing, and research programs.
• Potato Leadership, Education and Advancement Foundation (Potato LEAF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPotato LEAF runs the Potato Industry Leadership Institute and benefits from Potato Expo live auctions. NPC works with Potato LEAF to develop industry leadership capacity.
• United Potato Growers of AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with NPC on industry coordination and planning during Potato Expo events.
• Potato Sustainability AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that meets during Potato Expo to organize and plan sustainability initiatives for the industry.
• USDA Foreign Agricultural ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA awarded $179,000 in Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) funding to NPC for Japan market access efforts, with NPC matching $50,000. The grant supports employing a specialized market access expert and facilitates collaboration with APHIS on phytosanitary issues.
• State Potato OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPC works with state organizations including Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, Idaho Grower Shippers Association, Idaho Potato Commission, Maine Potato Board, Minnesota Area II Potato Growers, Montana Potato Improvement Association, North Carolina Potato Association, Pennsylvania Cooperative Potato Growers, Potato Growers of Michigan, Northland Potato Growers Association, Oregon Potato Commission, Washington State Potato Commission, and Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Western Growers Association: California/Arizona produce trade association with comparable grower advocacy and policy engagement model. Specializes in specialty crops similar to NPC's territory.

Direct peers

• Potatoes USA: Federally authorized national marketing and promotion board for U.S. potatoes. Directly aligned with NPC in advocacy, export development, and grower-funded industry support, complementing rather than competing with NPC's policy focus.
• National Milk Producers Federation: Commodity checkoff-aligned dairy trade association offering the same combination of federal legislative advocacy, trade negotiation, and nutrition policy defense for dairy farmers.
• US Apple Association: Specialty crop trade association performing federal advocacy, nutrition research, and trade negotiations for apple growers, structurally similar to NPC's potato-focused mission.
• United Potato Growers of America: National organization coordinating potato acreage planning and supply. Comparable in that both serve U.S. potato growers with industry-wide coordination, jointly exhibiting at Potato Expo events.
• United Fresh Produce Association: Trade association for fresh fruits and vegetables. Directly comparable model in federal advocacy, nutrition policy, and produce industry representation. CEO Kam Quarles previously worked at United Fresh.
• American Soybean Association: Commodity checkoff-adjacent grower trade association with near-identical policy advocacy, trade negotiation, and event-driven member engagement model.
• National Corn Growers Association: Leading U.S. commodity crop trade association comparable in advocacy structure, federal policy engagement, farmer membership, and event-based revenue (Commodity Classic).
• Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance: Coalition of 200+ specialty crop organizations co-chaired by NPC's CEO. Operates as the unified advocacy vehicle on Farm Bill funding, making it structurally comparable to NPC in policy mechanism.

Broad incumbents

• American Farm Bureau Federation: Largest general U.S. agricultural trade association with comparable federal advocacy and state-organization network, though covering all agriculture rather than specializing in potatoes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ThisSpudsForYou
• YouTubeyoutube.com/NatlPotatoCouncil
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalpotatocouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-potato-council
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalpotatocouncil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Potato Council