NAPSO & Spud Smart Present
September 22, 9 AM PST
Box vs. Bulk and El Niño: Preparing for the Potato Storage Season
Think outside the box—and inside the bin! Join NAPSO and SpudSmart for an engaging webinar exploring two timely issues shaping the potato industry: the pros, challenges, and key considerations of box versus bulk storage, and what El Niño could mean for agriculture and the upcoming storage season.
Featuring insights from Idaho Hydro Tech’s Blake Isaacs, UFP Packaging’s Shane Zerr, and Columbia University climate scientist Muhammad Azhar Ehsan, this session offers practical perspectives for potato growers, storage professionals, and anyone involved in potato production and handling.
Register now to be part of the conversation.
What You Will Learn In The Webinar
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Bulk or boxes? Compare storage methods and discover why there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
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Thinking of a switch? Understand the costs, challenges, and equipment changes involved.
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Fresh-market trends: Explore why box storage is gaining ground — and how bulk systems continue to improve.
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Smarter storage: See how new technology is boosting performance in both systems.
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El Niño 2026: Learn what a potentially record-strength event could mean for agriculture.
Shane Zerr
Shane Zerr has been with UFP Packaging since 2018, providing customized packaging and storage solutions for the agriculture and produce industries. UFP offers a broad range of lumber packaging products for a variety of fruits and vegetables. Drawing on previous experience as a Major Account Manager with Grainger Industrial Supply and a Sales Manager with Cintas, Shane brings a strong background in industrial sales and customer solutions.
Blake Isaacs
Blake Isaacs founded Idaho Hydro Tech in 2015 to adapt air scrubbing technology to improving the air in indoor agriculture. IHT offers humidifying air scrubbers that help growers to reduce the spread of airborne disease in potato storage and in other agriculture applications. Blake previously worked as a product management VP and Director in consumer electronics at Motorola, Qualcomm/Kyocera, Sprint, and Dell. As an engineer, he has developed environmental instrumentation and other products and is an inventor with over 10 patents in the U.S. and Europe. Blake holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Utah State University and an MBA from the University of Oregon.
Dr. Muhammad Azhar Ehsan
Dr. Muhammad Azhar Ehsan is a Research Scientist at Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research, specializing in ENSO, subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) forecasting, and translating climate information into actionable insights for society and climate-sensitive sectors. His research focuses on understanding and predicting large-scale climate variability and translating Earth observations and climate forecasts into actionable information for agriculture, water resources, disaster preparedness, and other climate-sensitive sectors. His work combines Earth observations, global prediction systems, and advanced forecasting approaches to better understand how major climate events such as El Niño translate into regional climate impacts.