Lousiana sweet potatoes can't keep up with Northern yields
"The North Carolina industry... developed the covington sweet potato, which is not very appealing in its looks. We get quite a bit more money for our sweet potatoes than they do. But at the same time it yields better," said Owner of Dawson Farms, Lev Dawson.
Louisiana State University's experiment station helped develop a different high-yielding potato for the South.
"It took over the industry by storm, and it didn't grow as well up in North Carolina," said Dawson.
But not all local farmers have been able to keep up. With the expense and demand for fresh markets like Wal-Mart or Brookshire's.
"It's difficult to be small and be in the fresh market," said Dawson.
He says market fluctuations, refrigeration costs, machinery and poor weather are all issues adding up to discourage growers for participating in the sweet potato market.
"So there is no incentive for farmers to switch to sweet potatoes down here now. They can make a good living with corn, beans, and in some cases cotton," said Dawson.
LSU's experiment station continues to work on more sweet potato developments, so Louisiana can compete with North Carolina's high yield.
Source: knoe.com
