Red River Valley growers facing significant loss of fresh potato crop
Estimates have close to 50% of the fresh potato crop in the Red River Valley still in the ground with ongoing wet conditions making it difficult to harvest.
Photo: Northern Plains Potato Growers Association
Ted Kreis, marketing and communications director for the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, told the Grand Forks (North Dakota) Herald that close to 9,000 acres of potatoes could be lost due to extremely wet conditions coupled with numerous hard freezes in recent weeks.
“I know there’s a lot of financial stress going on right now,” Kreis told the Herald. (Full story here.)
An estimate by the North American Potato Market News had 45 to 50% of the Red River Valley’s tablestock crop still in the ground as of Oct. 30. The RRV is the top fresh red potato producing region in the U.S. North American Potato Market News projects fresh shipments from the region will be down about 40% from last year.
According to the Northern Plains Growers Association, 74% of the Red River Valley crop goes to processing, 16% to the fresh market and the remaining 10% for seed.
The USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service reported Oct. 27 that 70% of the potato crop in North Dakota was harvested and 92% of the Minnesota crop was harvested.