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Show IdahoWatching Out for Imitators: Spud Industry Not Small Potatoes B Muriel Dobbin Field News Serv lie BOISE Tlie United States Customs is on the lookout for contraband potatoes Growers of genuine Idaho potatoes which are the states billion dollar biead and buttei, currently are arming themsehes against foreign and domestic infiltration of their cherished maiket The Idaho potato, as one agriculture official said could be described as dominating the stale s economy The potato crop represents between $800 OOti UOO and $1 billion, more than a third ot the total farm income Moie than 325,000 acres of Idaho are devoted to potato production, moie than twice as much as in any other state, with total production at around 80 million hundredweight to feed the rising number of American potato eaters Growing Challenge Potato growers are closely watching a growing g states such as challenge from other Washington, North Dakota and Maine, but so far Idaho remains well ahead ' Potatoes are the continuing blight spot in our economy and the reason we have a potato commission is to have a watchdog to keep it that way. observed an official We must protect the integrity of the Idaho potato," declared Gordon Randall, executive director of the Idaho Potato Commission, who sits in an office that boasts a poster of Marilyn Monroe in a genuine Idaho potato burlap bag To make sure that their competitors know they mean business, the potato commission's attorneys have sent out six letters and 35 telegrams in recent weeks to warn other companies, giow'ers, retailers and brokers of the legal consequences of misuse of the Idaho trademark Potatoes Crossing Border And to discourage Canadian potato producers who might undercut Idaho prices as they already have undercut those in Maine, Randall announced that the states trademark had been registered with the customs service so that they could be aware of potentially mislabeled potatoes crossing the border The customs service has the authority to prohibit mislabeled potatoes from coming in from Canada Its just like contraband or dope, said Randall Were going to head them off at the pass before they get started, he added firmly The potato commission, which represents Idahos growers and shippers of the state's most famous agricultural product, has some reason to be woi ned about Xople peddling mutations of their Russet Burbanks There have been instances, Randall reported, of potatoes being shipped by a firm calling itself the Idaho Potato Co , using bags prominently stamped with that name That company is m fact headquartered in Connecticut and Canada and sells Canadian Russets Wrong Impression To Randall and his fellow potato commissioners, that is an example of giving the wrong impression, which was why the Idaho Potato Co received a copy of the commissions cautionary legal letters. Then, he went on, thre was a packing firm that called itself the Far West Packing Company of Boise " When Randall tried to call them on the Idaho Wyoming Winter Yields to Spring nunibei listed he i elated, it turned out that the fnm as lot ated in Montreal 'We have engaged counsel to work with the stati attorney geneials olfite when we feel there has been tonsuioer fraud," noted Randall who said Idahoans were acutely conscious of what we called people trying to make a fast potato buck Potatoes aie so important for this state that theie is nothing casual alxiut the way we let " he emphasized In addition to its substantial invcdniint m its potato crop, Idahoans take pride m the quality ot their potatoes said Randall who insisted that the plain old potato is "a teiuhly complex living " organism Did you know that if you harvest a potato and do something silly like put it in your refrigeiatoi where it will get bruised, and then you take it out ill a lew davs it will heal itself he asked Pt CHEYENNE Temper itnres may have plunged below zeio in Yellowstone National Park (,.i ly Thursday but the National Weather Service still h.id good news for Wyoming spring weather is back The v eather serv ice said drv high pressure would lemani over the northern Rockies for the next few days bringing geneially clear and warmer conditions to the Cowlxiy State Forecasters predicted highs in the IK) range Friday Wednesday night was clear and uxil across Wyoming with low temperatures ranging from 40 at Cody down to a minus 4 reading m A ellow stone, the weather service said The oltieial low in the nation was West Yellowstone, Mont with 8 degrees although the weather bureau in Montana said the mei eury actually dipiied to 5 degrees ( w I , SOLID VALUES FOR YOUR HOME potato-producin- compu SPECIAL BUYS JUST ARRIVED Carloads Of America's Favorite Household Appliances Have Just Arrived So You Can Have The Items You Need At A Price You Can Afford . . . 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