Last week, potato growers from Washington and Oregon gathered for the Washington, Oregon Potato Conference at the Three Rivers Conventions Center in Kennewick, WA. In addition to a trade show, the event featured educational seminars on cultural practices, new potato cultivars, and important domestic and international policy issues facing the potato industry.

Participation was the largest yet for the annual event, which culminated in the 15th annual awards banquet sponsored by the Washington State Potato Foundation. Each year, the the foundation honors an individual who exemplifies a given leadership trait.

“When the Potato Foundation board selected the word ‘dedication’ as the leadership excellence trait, Ed was an obvious choice.  His 40 years of leadership at a local, regional and national level has made an indelible mark in the potato industry,” said Kellee Balcom, executive director of the WSPC.

“As long as the industry will allow me I will continue to represent them and do the thing I love to do,” said Schneider.

A long-time commissioner with the WSPC, Schneider served as chairman of the research committee as well as spearheading many other initiatives. He is widely credited with changing the focus of the commission from potato promotion to lobbying for important policy issues facing potato growers.

“He grabbed me by the arm and taught me the issues,” said Cully Easterday, “and I think he’s done that for enough people over the years that I think there’s hundreds of us who’d say, if it weren’t for Ed we probably wouldn't be here today.”

Schneider served on the executive committee of the National Potato Council from 2005 to 2010, was vice president of the legislative committee from 2005 through 2008, and president of the NPC in 2009. While with the NPC he helped reinstate white potatoes into the Women, Infants and Children Program, added a designated lobbyist to the NPC staff, started the Potato Expo and expanded the NPC budget by 40 percent with help from income from the expo.