Skagit Valley potatoes are business as usual

“Supplies will be about normal for our area and the volume will also be normal,” says Tony Wisdom of Valley Pride Sales in Mount Vernon, Wa. “We’re a very consistent growing area in terms of volume on an annual basis.”

All of this despite a rough spring. “There was just a lot of rain in the spring—it was pretty wet,” says Wisdom. “It was a little dicey getting going but once the weather broke, everybody got planted on time and it’s been a great summer for growing. We’re easing into the fall now and everything looks pretty good.”

Wisdom estimates movement will begin after Labor Day. “It’s hot and I don’t think there’s a lot of demand right now. But I hope that picks up as the weather begins to change,” he says. “Demand is quite normal right now. Last year there was extraordinarily high demand given issues in other areas. But this year it’s back to normal.”

Wisdom anticipates that pricing also looks to be similar to last year. “Once we get going, there’s not a lot of movement in pricing until we get up or down at the end of the season,” he says. “And then it just depends on the quality of product you have in storage and how quickly it needs to be moved. In general, normally the pricing is fairly stable.”

What is pushing on that even keel in the region though are the transportation costs. “They are rough this year and that’s mostly due to the new regulations forced on the transportation industry that affects agriculture,” he says. “We ship a lot of product around and it’s making an impact on the marketplace.” Wisdom is also concerned about a shortage of trucks given there are less wheels on the road overall. “I don’t see a resolution anytime soon,” he says. “It’s a problem that a lot of people are talking about and it’s probably more of a long-term problem requiring a long-term solution.”

For more information:

Tony Wisdom