Gary Roth is the new face of Oregon spuds. He took on the role of executive director of the Oregon Potato Commission May 1, and Potato Country caught up with him shortly after to learn more about him.
Tell us a little about your background and what brought you to the Oregon Potato Commission.
I grew up in agriculture and have been involved with the industry my whole life. I grew up on a 300-acre farming and ranching operation. I attended Oregon State University and studied agricultural and resource economics. My first job was with the Oregon Farm Bureau as a lobbyist, and then I went to work for the Oregon Department of Agriculture for two 12-year stints with five years in between. During those 24 years, market access, market development and international trade were the primary focus of my work. That work ranged from something as local as farm to school all the way through international trade, primarily in Asia and Europe.
I arrived at a point where I felt that I wanted to look for an opportunity to take that range of experience and focus it on something more specific than the 225 to 250 commodities that Oregon grows. Working for and serving the State of Oregon was an honor and something I greatly enjoyed, but I was looking for an opportunity to go an inch or two wide and a mile deep. The opportunity came up with the Oregon Potato Commission, and it has been exactly what I was looking for.
What makes you most excited about being part of the Oregon Potato Commission?
It has exceeded my expectations in terms of the breadth of opportunities and the reach that the industry has. Every day, we’re talking about something that’s very interesting and exciting and hopefully very beneficial for the industry.
I work with a great group of growers and handlers from across the state. I get to represent all four corners, if you will, of the state that I love. And there’s the more familiar side of market access and development, and those are projects that are on the horizon for the summer and fall, and I’m looking forward to working on those, as well.
Share with us something about yourself that people might find surprising.
I don’t know; I’m a pretty straight forward guy.
I love horses, and I have ridden them my entire life. My grandfather logged with horses, so it’s something that has been in my family for a long time. I continue to keep at least a couple of them on my property, and my kids ride, as well. So that’s something that we enjoy as a family.
Another thing is that I think some of the best potatoes are served in some of the lesser known restaurants that some people won’t even admit they go into. They do the absolute best job serving up tater tots and French fries. Every time I ask them what their secret is they tell me they change the oil a lot.
What’s your favorite potato dish?
My absolute favorite is the small red potatoes, maybe cut in half. My wife puts a little bit of olive oil, salt and garlic on them and puts them under the broiler in the oven.
Do you have a motto or personal mantra that you live by?
Try to be kind and listen to what others have to say. That’s something I’ve used a lot professionally. You still reserve the right to disagree, but at least give everyone a shot.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I probably either wanted to be a horse trainer or I wanted to be a businessperson.
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see cast as you?
Robert Redford when he was the age he played Hubbell in The Way We Were… because that’s who my wife is really in love with.
What’s on your bucket list?
I would love to go to South America, particularly Chile. I would love to spend some time in Africa.
Why Chile?
It’s counter-seasonal to Oregon in so many of the products that we grow here so I was always interested professionally as to what they grow there and how they grow it. I wanted to learn more on the ground about what the interface has been between the government or the public sector and the agricultural community and how they’ve grown their exports, particularly on the fresh side.
What advice do you have for potato growers competing in today’s market?
Always remain curious. Yes, it’s so important to take care of the business at home. But always stay curious about what goes on beyond the boundaries of your own operation because out there is where the policies are made that influence your business; out there is where your products are consumed, marketed and sold. It’s important to always keep an eye out and remain curious about all those things because they really do impact the bottom line.
