Founded in 1948, the National Potato Council is the voice of U.S. potato growers and industry members in our nation’s capital. NPC protects potato growers’ interests in Washington, D.C. by addressing issues that affect the potato industry, from policy issues debated in Congress to regulatory issues proposed by federal agencies.
History
Agricultural production of Irish potatoes and other agricultural commodities ramped up to meet the demands of World War II. Following the war, decreased demand led to depressed market conditions; no organized plan existed to facilitate the movement of surplus potatoes.
U.S. production areas were also expanding across the country, but conflict erupted among the regions as there was no framework for unifying the growing regions on a national level.
As early as 1947, it became apparent that it was necessary to give the potato industry a unified voice on a national level and improve the collection of data essential to production and marketing.
As a result, the National Potato Council was formed in 1948 to represent the approximately 45,000 potato growers operating in the United States. Currently located in Washington, D.C., NPC was organized to promote the greater consumption of Irish potatoes and to nationally represent potato farmers on legislative and regulatory matters.
Representatives from every large potato producing area were named to serve on the NPC Board of Directors, which would meet periodically to consider the potato problems and make recommendations for their improvement. Finances were provided by state potato organizations that collected dues, or quotas, from individual growers.
To this day, NPC remains committed to providing a unified voice for the U.S. potato industry on national legislative, regulatory, environmental, and trade issues to promote the increased profitability for growers and greater consumption of potatoes.
NPC has been highly successful in representing the diverse interests of U.S. potato producers and plays a significant role influencing policy that directly affects the U.S. grower’s ability to compete both domestically and globally.
2026 President Ben Sklarczyk
During the National Potato Council’s 2026 Washington Summit, Ben Sklarczyk (right) of Johannesburg, Michigan, was elected to serve as NPC’s 2026 President and head the grower-led organization’s Executive Committee.
A long-time advocate for the industry, Sklarczyk has been involved with NPC since the early 2000s and joined the NPC Board of Directors in 2010. Before being elected President for 2026, he served nearly a decade on the Executive Committee, holding various leadership roles, including First Vice President, Vice President of Grower Outreach and Industry Research, Vice President of Environmental Affairs, and Vice President of Finance.
Sklarczyk is a third-generation grower and owner of Sklarczyk Seed Farm, a hydroponic seed potato operation based in his hometown of Johannesburg. Sklarczyk assumed full ownership of the family business 10 years ago, when he and his wife, Alison, purchased it from his father, Don Sklarczyk, who served as President of NPC in 2007.
