Maybe drive to a fork in the road? Idaho reintroduces ‘famous' license plate
Idaho is going retro.
The state is bringing back its 1950s-era 'World Famous Potatoes' license plate, in part to help promote agriculture programs.
Sleek in its black-and-white design, this plate gives Idahoans the option to personalize their vehicle while supporting the Idaho Potato Commission and highway infrastructure. The plate will cost $70, in addition to any registration fees for its initial issuance. Of this, $45 is allocated to state highway infrastructure and $25 to agricultural promotions through the commission, according to its president and CEO, Jamey Higham.
It will be available to purchase starting June 18, according to a press release.
'It's a little more expensive than the usual plate that you get,' Higham said. 'The money to help with roads and stuff through the transportation department, and some of the money will also go to helping promote research for potatoes in our industry within the commission.'
The bill to reboot the plate was sponsored by Rep. Douglas Pickett, an Oakley Republican and rancher, and was introduced on Feb. 11. It passed the House and Senate with no opposition.
'It was really easy to actually build a consensus for it, and kind of exciting to see such widespread support for something like that,' Pickett told the Idaho Statesman.
Demand for a black license plate has been high in Idaho, according to Pickett and Higham, and they both said they've received good feedback regarding the resurgence of the 'World Famous Potatoes' plate.
'We've been thinking about it for a couple of years, and we actually had quite a few requests to have a black license plate because it's starting to be popular all over the West,' Higham said.
Pickett said there was 'a lot of demand' to have a black plate. 'People like to personalize their vehicle, it's sort of a personal expression,' he said.
Higham says he has gotten 'overwhelmingly positive' comments about the license plate. Pickett said there could be some apprehension to purchase it because Idahoans believe that areas funded by the other available plates could lose money when they drop those.
'There was a little concern about competition with the Idaho heritage plate. ... But at the end of the day, it boiled down to what people actually want, and people actually decided to have an alternative, and so I think it's important to give people those options,' Pickett said.
The plate for the Idaho Heritage Trust helps support historic preservation efforts in the state.
Pickett and Higham both said the 'World Famous Potatoes' license plate is what Idaho is all about.
'Our population is increasingly urban, but yet our interest in our identity as the home of the world famous Idaho potatoes remains intact, and people still identify with that as Idahoans,' Pickett said.
'It's just something that I think is kind of nostalgic for Idahoans to reflect back on a plate from the past.'
Both men said they think it will be well-received.
'We have a lot of other great industries in Idaho, we really do, but somehow the potatoes have been kind of the iconic one that people recognize us for,' Higham said.
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