The 58th annual Idaho Potato Conference and Eastern Idaho Ag Expo, presented by the University of Idaho, will be focused on water management, soil borne illnesses and updates from the leaders of the Idaho Potato Commission. The conference will be held Jan. 21-22, 2026, at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho, with speakers and an adjacent trade show, which will have over 70 booths.
The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 21 and 8 a.m. to noon on Jan. 22, in ISU’s Pond Student Building. Registration costs are $40 per person before Jan. 14, and will increase to $50 for on-site registration. These costs will include a potato bar lunch on Jan. 21, fried snacks throughout the two days and a hospitality room sponsored by the IPC.
James Woodhall, a UI extension professor based in Parma, Idaho, is introducing the conference as its first speaker on Jan 21. Woodhall is a plant pathologist who studies crops in the northwest and said that the conference is mainly for connecting with the potato growers.
“If students are looking for a snapshot of the potato growing industry, or they just want to look around, it’s a great opportunity to learn,” said Woodhall, in an interview with The Argonaut. He also said it is more beneficial as a post-graduate opportunity.
“It is one of the largest UI Extension outreaches that the university puts on. It originally began with sending researchers to specific farms, but as it developed, the farmers come to the conference,” Woodhall said.
On the first day of the conference, a soil borne illness symposium will be held. The lecture will cover the methods and biology to control and prevent soil borne illnesses. One of these is Verticillium Wilt. The symposium will highlight the importance of selecting resistant varieties of crops, using proper irrigation and soil solarization.
There will be multiple panel discussions on topics, including powdery scab, potato mop-top virus, biological control products for disease management and potato agronomy. There will additionally be talks on aphids, wireworms, soil types, nutrient management and drought management.
UI faculty members Emily Bedwell and Meetpal Kukal will present their research on hydrologic science and water management. There will also be an adjacent panel discussion with the topic, “Water on the Line.”
Ben Ingalls, Chief Growth Officer at Industrial Ventilation, Inc., based in Nampa, Idaho will be presenting on how potato storage practices maybe impacted by the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act. The AIM act authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to address and control the use of hydrofluorocarbons.
Invited guest speakers include entomologist; Russell Groves from the University of Wisconsin; Mark Pavek, who is a potato specialist from Washington State University; and Amber Moore, a soil fertility specialist from Oregon State University.
More information about the conference is available on the UI IPC website, including a link to register for the conference.
Josie Adjanohoun can be reached at [email protected].