Oregon has a new state vegetable, and it’s controversial

The Oregon State House on Thursday approved a resolution designating a new state vegetable — the potato.

While most may think of Idaho as the “potato state,” Oregon does, in fact, puts the “Ore” in Ore-Ida, producing a large number of potatoes each year.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 passed Thursday and designated the potato as Oregon’s official vegetable.

The previous state vegetable had been the onion.

“More than 2.7 billion pounds of potatoes are grown annually” in Oregon, according to a statement submitted by Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, and the state is responsible for “nearly 25% of all french fries exported from the U.S.”

Idaho, on the other hand, is the top potato producer in the country and produces around 13 billion pounds of potatoes each year, according to the Idaho Potato Commission.

Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley, submitted a lighthearted “potential conflict of interest” statement, noting that as the owner of McDonald’s franchises, she has a vested interested in delicious potato products.

“At my several McDonald’s restaurants,” the statement read, “we sell many fries and breakfast hashbrowns every year, which are made from potatoes.”

After the resolution passed, lawmakers from both parties gathered to enjoy McDonald’s french fries, the Salem Statesman Journal reported.

No word yet on what Idaho thinks of the change.

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