Editor's letter

WHEN ASKED to produce a cover story on potatoes for this issue, I wasn’t convinced that there would be that much new to say.

After all, Idaho has been famous for potatoes forever. Who doesn’t love potatoes? But it didn’t take much research to show how little I knew.

Today China, India, and Russia all produce more potatoes than does the United States. I knew our university researchers have been important partners in Idaho’s potato success, but I hadn’t realized how complex and time consuming is the process of variety development—making potatoes with more vitamins, more disease-resistance, better qualities for processing, able to be stored longer, and so on.

Thanks to Marlene Fritz for her stories on variety development (read it) and Idaho’s small but growing organic niche (read it) .

Bill Loftus looked into reports that Idaho high school students seem to love agricultural education classes more than ever. His story helps explain and reports on new dual credits to be offered for some ag ed classes. Credits will be good at both high schools and the University of Idaho, hopefully beginning next fall.

We hear a lot about climate change. But just how will it affect Idaho? Our story shares research-based predictions by UI scientists and economists on impacts to Snake River water.

Diane Ronayne attended Idaho’s first national robotics competition in Meridian to research a University of Idaho pipeline to encourage Idaho K-to-12 youth to get involved in science and engineering (p. 26).

Also, our 3-page ScienceUpdate section touches on topics from very specific information on the cost of long-term care in Idaho (read it) to ways nanowires may improve fights against cancer and other ills (read it).

To share your favorite family story and recipe involving potatoes, or to share comments on our stories, or suggest topics for our magazine, email me at mreese@uidaho.edu,

We’d love to hear from you!

MARY ANN REESE