NPC’s annual EPA-USDA Farm Tour allows federal regulators the opportunity to meet with growers face-to-face to better understand how their decisions have real-world implications on family farms.
In August 2025 in Maine, NPC Vice President of Environmental Affairs Chris Olsen joined NPC staff during the organization’s annual Agency Farm Tour for employees of EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) and USDA’s Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP). Tour stops included potato farms throughout Aroostook County and the Penobscot McCrum processing facility.
“We truly appreciate the growers in Maine opening up their farms to help us to ensure the agencies understand the complexity and diversity of potato production across the U.S.” stated Olsen, a potato grower from Washington state. “Having the opportunity to see production practices on the other side of the country reinforced the importance of having the greatest flexibility in the pest management tools we have available to the industry.”
The annual tour is designed to strengthen the relationship between the agency staff and industry. The tour also serves to educate agency participants on commercial potato production practices, including the real-world use of federally regulated pesticides, Integrated Pest Management, and provide demonstrations on handling and use of pesticides, including equipment used in pest management.
Additionally, this year, the participants worked through a real-world, in-field application of label requirements on growers in the implementation of EPA’s strategy for compliance with the Endangered Species Act. “Participants truly appreciated understanding the complexities and decisions growers required with every pesticide application and the need to minimize labor needs in documenting practices through the development of strong management tools,” stated Mike Wenkel, NPC COO.
