2023 Assessment Newsletter

are prioritizing on behalf of each operation and our SWEET industry. This newsletter is our most comprehensive to date. I encourage you to spend a few minutes perusing its pages, share with others and most importantly, if you have any questions or would like to discuss anything that you may come across, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any member of your Commission staff. The publication has been put together into sections starting with the mission of the Commission and “Why” you receive an acreage assessment. You will find letters from the Board of Director’s President as well as each chair for our three primary committees: promotions, research and finance. Behind each committee letter you will find information about where funds have been allocated over the past fiscal year. I have had the great honor and privilege of representing each member of the NC Sweetpotato Commission since August 2020 and over the course of the last three years, our office has continued to strive for excellence while leveraging every available dollar to its fullest. Our largest budget expense is within promotions and each commitment is evaluated and discussed with not only the members of the Promotions Committee, but also our experienced agency representatives and taken to the Board for final approval. Promotions and marketing is an activity area that we are focused on every day, whether it be strategy or executing – we are covering it all, and doing so both domestically and internationally. We know our NC sweetpotatoes are premium and we also recognize that getting our incredible product onto the plates of consumers - near and far from the birth place of that sweetpotato is priority number one. As you look through your Assessment Newsletter, you will find numerous examples (but certainly not all) of these promotional efforts over the past year and the diversity of approach we have taken – all to reach new consumers of NC sweetpotatoes! I hope that you will be proud of your Commission’s efforts to represent you, your operation, and our industry. You’ll also find quite a bit of information surrounding the Commission’s efforts to further support research. In my travels over the last year, it is abundantly clear that one of our differentiators is our industry’s commitment to research. We value genetic purity, field management practices, technology and innovation and so much more. Because of the decades of commitment to prioritizing research, partnering with NC State University, as well as other institutions and our strong collaboration with Cooperative Extension and NC Department of Agriculture, our industry is considered “The Leader” by many. There are many research projects which have been highlighted in this year’s newsletter and should you wish to learn more, I invite you to contact our office. In closing, I would like to take a moment to personally thank you for your contributions to our industry. Our industry’s strength starts and stops with the commitment of its producers. Your passion for excellence fuels our passion for excellence and we could not be prouder to represent you, your operation and the incredible product you produce. Thank you for all that you do to make the NC Sweetpotato Industry, the SWEESTEST. Letter from the Executive Director It is with great pleasure that I present to you the 2023 Member Assessment Newsletter. The Commission first put such a publication together in 2021 and did so in recognition of our 60th anniversary. We have continued this effort as we feel it is vital for each of our members to have a strong understanding of how their assessment fees are allocated each year and what their Commission staff, Board of Directors and numerous committees

Michelle Grainger Executive Director

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