The disposal of one million hundredweight of potatoes is being addressed in Alamosa County and Rio Grande County ahead of the summer harvest. The estimate equals one hundred million pounds of potatoes, although industry representatives indicate the figure may be higher.
"This is a 'how do you eat an elephant one bite at a time,'" problem, said Tara Artho, executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee.
Jeff McCullough of The Spud Seller in Rio Grande County is working with the Rio Grande Water Conservation District on using 300 acres (121 hectares) of fallow land for disposal of part of the volume. He said two full-time employees, a 150-horsepower tractor, and a front loader would be required to transport and manage the potatoes. The remaining volumes would be handled by producers.
"I think we need to start as soon as we can to help to manage these cull piles and get them down," McCullough said. "The longer we hold them (in storage), the worse it gets."
Quality issues in storage have been linked to warm March weather. Oversupply, the loss of a processing facility, and market conditions have contributed to the build-up of cull piles.
"This is not a 'just this year problem,' either," McCullough said. "This is a long-term problem that needs a long-term solution and a short-term solution."
Lower consumption and high-yielding varieties are affecting the market. In addition, low water levels in the Upper Rio Grande Basin are expected to reduce production in 2026. The loss of the Colorado Gourmet processing facility to fire and a soft domestic market are expected to continue affecting storage in the coming years.
Responsibility for disposal remains with individual growers, although local authorities are being approached for support. "How do we justify this as a county problem as opposed to an industry problem?" said Alamosa County Commissioner Vern Heersink.
Alamosa County Administrator Roni Wisdom estimated costs of US$130,000 to US$150,000 for labour and equipment if counties become involved. Potato production in the region is concentrated in Alamosa, Costilla, Rio Grande, and Saguache counties.
Disposal must comply with regulations under the Colorado Seed Potato Act, with penalties for non-compliance.
"Our guys want to be compliant," Artho said. "They don't want to have this be a problem for their neighbors, for their own warehouses, for themselves, and they're trying to come together with a community-minded solution here on giving them an option.
"If we can't haul them away and we have them here already, we can't go back and ungrow them. And now it's kind of heartbreaking for these guys to put their heart and soul into a harvest and then have to turn around and pay to decimate the crop. That's farming."
Source: Alamosa Citizen
