The Spud That Feeds the World; Pushing the potato's power to ease hunger and spur growth.(United Nation's declares 2008 the International Year of the Potato ) From: U.S. News & World Report | Date: February 18, 2008| Author: Kingsbury, Alex | COPYRIGHT 2008 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

Byline: Alex Kingsbury

Five years ago, starches were persona non grata in the United States. The Atkins diet was the rage, and prospects for the potato were dim. As Maine farmer Don Thibodeau sowed another crop of spud seeds and watched wholesale prices fall, he and friend Bob Harkin had an idea. They launched a distillery using potatoes to make vodka. "Vodka was first made with potatoes, but as grains took over, spuds were pushed to the wayside," says Harkin. But now, t...