“We started our sweet potato harvest last week on August 10,” says Thomas Chancy with Millstream Farms in Dunn, North Carolina. “Part of our crop is heavily irrigated, allowing us to start harvest a few weeks early.” This year, 200 out of a total of 3,000 acres of sweet potatoes were irrigated. “Irrigation is uncommon in the part of North Carolina we are in, but we started irrigating strongly when the export market picked up about five years ago.” Millstream Farms has made significant investments in ponds, deep wells and water pumps. As a result, the company’s sweet potatoes enter the market ahead of competition.
After harvest, the potatoes are being cured, which takes about three to four weeks. They are available for consumption as of the second week of September and that’s when the company makes the change from 2015 to 2016 potatoes.
Sweet potato harvest
UK and the Netherlands main export destinations
The export market has become very important for Millstream Farms. “We started exporting significantly in 2014,” said Chancy. “Because our customers like our quality, we doubled our exports last year and now ship about 5-10 containers every week.” About 25 percent of Millstream’s crop is exported with the UK and the Netherlands being the main destinations. Demand from Europe continues to increase as the European consumer is becoming more and more knowledgeable on how to use sweet potatoes.
In May, when temperatures pick up, Millstream starts refrigerating its potatoes that are in storage. “Between May and September, we usually refrigerate about half a million bushels,” shared Chancy. “Refrigeration enables us to ship high-quality product year-round.” The temperature is kept at 55⁰F with a humidity of 85 percent.
Packing facility
For more information:
Thomas Chancy
Millstream Farms
Tel: 910-567-6745