2023 Assessment Newsletter

Research Committee Research and Development is essential to any operation, and the North Carolina sweetpotato industry is certainly no exception. Therefore, the efforts of the

Research Committee are absolutely vital to the sustainability of our industry. Research Committee members work throughout the year to represent the industry and to ensure that North Carolina produces the highest quality sweetpotatoes in the marketplace. Committee members guide all of the NCSPC's efforts to identify dangers and opportunities with the production of our crop, in areas such as:

new variety development improvement of production practices

new pesticide management strategies, including new pesticide research and regulatory approval best crop management strategies including, harvest and handling methods, curing and storage processes, and sanitation requirements new opportunities for the use of the sweetpotato crop, including livestock and pet feed, pharmaceutical use, and new uses as a nutritional-rich healthy food ingredient. updating nutritional and dietary guidelines for proper labeling of sweetpotato nutritional values MRL research support These are just some of the opportunities and challenges in which the committee is engaged on the NCSPC's behalf. In addition, continuous regulatory changes regarding weather conditions, labor laws, and chemical usage demands an active and effective response from the committee. In order to accomplish its goals, the Research Committee annually calls for proposals from NC State University (and occasionally other universities too). The committee members then evaluate whether a proposed project is (1) consistent with the Commission’s mission, (2) focused on a need or desire based on input from the industry, (3) reasonably expected to produce an outcome that is relevant to the industry, and (4) an appropriate use of assessment dollars. Once selected for funding, the committee then monitors the progress of the approved projects to ensure they remain on schedule and meet the projected goals. And finally, the committee then selects and coordinates the best method of relaying the final reports to the entire membership. A special note of appreciation to the generous appropriation of funds from the NC General Assembly, the NCSPC has received grant monies totaling $5 MILLION dollars for the SOLE PURPOSE of mitigating the Guava Root Knot Nematode. The Research Committee is tasked with overseeing these dollars and have selected many important projects that it feels are vital to our sustainability with this new challenge to our industry. Projects are underway, yet we already know that we cannot stress enough the importance of GOOD horticultural practices. To learn more about what we already know, the commission office has made current resources available on the member portal for your review. New ideas, theories, and concerns from our industry members and partners are always welcomed. Please feel free to contact any member of the Research committee with your comments or questions, or feel free to contact the NCSPC staff at any time.

Thank you for your support!

Rob Hill NCSPC Research Committee Chair 18