b"they are required to complete two different food safety audits,As the PSA continues to expand its membership and develop in addition to two sustainability assessments. While that mayits survey, the association plans to go one step further by creating seem like an easy task to complete, in reality, it takes a significantaccreditation opportunities for its members.amount of time and resources for a smaller farm like ColomaWe want to establish an endorsement policyessentially Farms. In fact, they have had to hire an additional employee thathaving the ability for a grower to say, These are PSA certified spends at least half of their time maintaining all the informationsustainable potatoes, and for growers to really be proud of for these programs, explains Diercks.working with PSA. I want to get us to a place where growers can What customers and consumers really want to know is, am Iuse PSA to tell their story, says Rasmussen.making the best choices on a day in and day out basis, he says.At the center of PSAs mission lies the desire to improve the There are so many choices that get made and it's really hard toinner workings of the industry to make the lives of producers assess that. Twenty years ago, the assumption was that farmerseasier, and the world better. While this process has not were good folks, and that they were making those good choices.progressed without facing challenges, Mesko believes that the Now, some of that trust has eroded for some reason. So, we'rePSA is on the path for continued success.trying to tell the story as well as we can without being a hugeAgriculture is multifaceted. There are many layers to what burden on the farms. happens on a farm or in a region. Potatoes are grown all over While the survey has existed for some time now, the PSA hasNorth America, and not just in a few states or provinces. Each refocused their efforts to better fit a larger audience, includinggeography has its own environmental challenges. Its a challenge stockholders, customers, retailers and more. Two areas that areto say we're going to put one approach, one measurement or one moving towards the forefront of the sustainability conversationdefinition for sustainability out there that applies to everyone. are greenhouse gas calculation reporting and the measurementIt's our biggest challenge, but its also our greatest strength. If of water use efficiency and water quality, says Mesko. we can successfully streamline things all across North America Our members are getting requests for Scope 3 emissionsin a way that really does answer the questions that folks have reporting. Our members are looking to gain information fromabout sustainability, then we will have done a great thing for what's happening on farms regarding greenhouse gas. Thats athe industry and farmers who need to tell the story, concludes big issue thats were working on right now, he shares. Mesko. The PSA is also developing a tool that measures the impact of water use efficiency and quality. This task will be a bit harder to accomplish though, according to Diercks. Water use for potato production is quite different here versus Washington, Maine, Canada or Prince Edward Island, for example, he explains. Depending on whether you have irrigation and what your natural rainfall is, assessing how to measure your water use and water efficiency is pretty challenging. The PSA water program may transition into more of a measurement of best practices along with a collaborative regional approach to water sustainability rather than a metric on water use efficiency.Whats Next for the PSA?After the association finishes developing its current goals, PSA looks to the future where it will tackle soil health, farmer livelihoods, food waste and additional areas that align with the various production practices utilized in potatoes.Weve had a survey and basic metrics for a long time, but now were expanding our reach and really trying to provide what our customers throughout the potato supply chain need to tell the story of sustainable potato production, says Diercks. The worst-case scenario for me would be that all of the major buyers have their own sustainability program for potatoes. Farms would end up having to do all these different audits and assessments that generally ask the same questions. It would be incredibly inefficient and frankly unsustainable. The potato industry has a great sustainability story to tell. We just need to figure out how to efficiently and effectively tell our story.SPUDSMART.COM Winter 202323"