Meet Brett Jensen, NPC VP of Trade Affairs

04/22/25 • 14 min

Eye on Potatoes: A Podcast on All Things Potatoes

During the 2025 NPC Washington Summit, we caught up with Brett Jensen, the newly elected National Potato Council Vice President of Trade Affairs. We chatted with Brett about his operations in Idaho Falls, his previous chairmanships of the Idaho Potato Commission and Potatoes USA, and how his background supports his role in leading NPC's trade advocacy efforts.

Previous Episode

Tariff Volatility: NPC Analyzing Impact on Growers

On April 9, President Trump announced he would pause "reciprocal" tariffs on dozens of non-retaliating countries for 90 days while raising duties on China to 125%. Responding to the news, NPC CEO Kam Quarles and industry consultant Matt Lantz jumped on the podcast to discuss the rapidly changing environment around tariffs, how our industry's top export markets are reacting, and some new opportunities they are seeing for reaching new consumers throughout the world.

Guests:

Matt Lantz, Senior Vice President, Global Access at Bryant Christie, Inc.
Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council

This podcast is possible thanks to our presenting sponsor, Syngenta. Delivering solutions to help producers face the potato industry's complex challenges, Syngenta provides growers with unmatched field expertise along with an array of effective products. Explore syngenta-us.com/spud-doctor to discover solutions for your potato-growing obstacles.

Next Episode

Endangered Species Act Update

U.S. EPA has made a concerted effort over the past several years to come into compliance with its obligations under the Endangered Species Act. Much of its efforts are driven by what is referred to as the Mega Suit by environmental groups, which are forcing deadlines on EPA to meet its obligations. During Potato Expo 2025, we sat down with two policy experts to talk about what the implementation of EPA’s strategy will mean for growers.

Guests:

Mike Aerts, Vice President of Science and Regulatory Affairs, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association
Mike Wenkel, Chief Operating Officer, National Potato Council