Rainy conditions this summer complicated this year's potato harvest in Idaho. Some growers are seeing smaller sizes, though those sizes could find a receptive holiday market in the coming months.“We had a lot of rain in August that stunted growth,” said Christopher Wada of Wada Farms. “So there's some concern over the size of the crop and in terms of whether potatoes bulked up enough at the end in order to have a good range of sizes.” The rainy conditions have also brought concerns as to how well the crop will be in storage, but at least the smaller sizes have an upside this year.
“There are a lot more smaller sizes in retail packs, but smaller sizes aren't necessarily a bad thing for this time frame, going into November and December, for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” explained Wada. Prices didn't experience an expected surge toward the end of the storage crop, so Wada thinks prices will climb more steadily through the holidays and into next year. Currently, prices out of the Twin Falls- Burley district at the end of last week were between $10.50 and $11.00 for a 50-pound carton of Russet Burbank 40s and between $9.50 and $10.00 for a 50-pound carton of Norkotah 40s. Prices for smaller sizes, down to 70s, were about the same for both Russet Burbanks and Norkotahs.
For more information:
Christopher Wada
Wada Farms
+1 208 542 2898