Story and photos by Bill Schaefer
Britt Raybould would prefer to not discuss glass ceilings. Though she is the first woman president in the 72-year history of the National Potato Council (NPC), Raybould would rather focus on the fact that she is the third member of her family to serve a one-year term as NPC president. Following in the steps of her grandfather, Dell Raybould, 1978 NPC president, and her father, Jeff Raybould, 1997 NPC president, Britt Raybould ascended to the grower organization’s presidency at the 2020 NPC annual meeting in January in Las Vegas. Growing up on the family farm and being the third Raybould to lead the NPC is an example of the generational strengths that can be found in the history of the potato industry and Idaho agriculture, she said. “I think it points to the fact of how much of the potato industry really does focus on family,” Raybould said. “A lot of the longer-term operations are family operations. It’s not to say others haven’t come in and started something and have gotten it going without having a family tradition, but I think it points to the fact that within the potato industry, there’s a strong family element.”
Following in Her Family’s Footsteps
Raybould Brothers Farms (RBF) is a textbook example of that strong family element. Britt Raybould is the chief financial officer (CFO) at RBF. Together with her younger brother, Jaren Raybould, an RBF owner/operator, their father and grandfather and three full-time employees, they manage the daily operations of the farm. Temporary employment during harvest results in an additional 25 to 30 seasonal workers, mostly high school and college students. The Rayboulds grow Russet Norkotah and Russet Burbank potatoes for the fresh market on just over 800 acres, along with 1,400 acres of grain and 150 acres of alfalfa in Madison and Fremont counties. Potatoes that don’t meet fresh-grade standards are sold to the Idahoan dehy plant for processing. Not only has Raybould followed in her grandfather’s footsteps as NPC president, she was elected to succeed him as the Idaho State Representative in District 34, House Seat B in the 2018 election. Her legislative responsibilities include serving on three House committees: Appropriations; Environment, Energy and Technology; and Resources and Conservation.
Juggling Jobs
Raybould credits the support of her family and the NPC staff for helping her juggle three jobs. “I need to give full credit. It’s my dad and brother that are doing the day-to-day operations along with our really hardworking folks who are with us throughout the year. “I’m very lucky to be surrounded by a lot of supportive people,” Raybould said. “The staff at the NPC is fantastic. We were very lucky to find such a solid combination in Kam (Quarles) and Mike (Wenkle) to take on that new leadership role within the organization.” In June 2019, Kam Quarles became the new CEO of the NPC and Mike Wenkle took on the newly created position of chief operations officer. “We’ve had a leadership transition, and we’re sort of engaged in resetting NPC,” Quarles said. “Trying to set the organization up to a place where it’s going to be a vibrant source of ag advocacy in the nation’s capital.” Quarles said that Raybould’s youth and communications background are a great fit with the NPC’s recent leadership transition and coincide with the NPC’s use of new communication tools such as the “Eye on Potatoes” podcast series. “She’s got a lot of good common sense ideas on how to expand the use of technology, how to create an NPC that is an attractive place for younger leaders to come work,” Quarles said.
Britt Raybould and Shawn Boyle, Idaho Grower Shippers Association president and general counsel, enjoy the break between NPC meetings.
Finding Her Way Back to the Farm
After growing up in St. Anthony, Idaho, Raybould earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in English at Boise State University and a master’s degree in professional communications from Westminster College in Salt Lake City. During college, she was non-committal about her future on the family farm. “I wasn’t 100 percent sure I was going to come back,” she said. “I had degrees in communications, and I was working in corporate marketing.” For Raybould, it was a classic example of absence makes the heart grow fonder. After working in marketing for seven years, she made the decision to return to the family farm in 2007. “It was just over a period of time when I decided that this was something that I hadn’t realized I was as invested in and was interested in coming back to,” she said. “I would still come back here during potato harvest and be around for some of the busier times of year,” she said. “But what really struck me is when I’d been working in an office setting for a number of years and it was really difficult for me to describe what I did for people.” She found that she missed the elemental satisfaction that comes from production on the farm. It’s not that the office work wasn’t satisfying, but she rediscovered that sense of accomplishment that comes from working on the farm with her family. “When I went to the farm, there was this really clear outcome,” Raybould said. “You worked the land. You harvested the crop. You had this very visible, very clear outcome for all the hard work that you put into it. It was really surprising to me how much more fulfilling I found the farming side of things.” It’s a calculated balancing act for Raybould with her legislative responsibilities demanding the majority of her time right now, followed by her commitment to the NPC and then the family farm. “I’m primarily focused on the legislature when we’re in session. It’s what’s happening in terms of priorities, so it gets the lion’s share of my attention,” she said. “Come April, May, I’ll shift back and most of my attention will go back toward the farm and most of my responsibilities that I have there.”
Setting Goals for the NPC
As Raybould settles in to lead the NPC through 2020, she has set two goals for the coming year. She wants to encourage greater participation from growers of her generation and make sure that they know their voices are being heard. “We’ve managed to accomplish a lot for an organization of our size, and I’d like for us to continue being successful going forward. But in order to do that, we need to make sure that the folks who are my age are coming in, are participating, are learning the ropes and are a part of things,” she said. With the growing consolidation of farms resulting in fewer farmers, it’s imperative for the future success of the NPC that the new generation of potato growers actively participates in the organization. “We want them there for as much time as they’re willing to be there,” Raybould said. “And in partnership with that, the idea of making sure that people know and appreciate that the NPC is still a grower-led and grower-driven organization.” While it’s a safe bet that Raybould does not lack for things to do and currently is concentrating on her day-to-day legislative commitments, she is looking forward to the NPC summer meeting in Boise this June 24-26.
Editor’s note: at the time of printing the NPC summer meeting in Boise was still scheduled. They have changed to an online event on June 25th. For more info click here.
