Harvest has just finished for fresh potatoes in central Minnesota. "The yields are probably a little bit above last year," says Kevin R. Olson of Ben Holmes Potato Co.
This comes following fairly optimal growing conditions for the potatoes in the region this summer. "We had the right amount of rain and sunshine and also cooler temperatures during the season," he says. That said, the potato harvest started about a week to 10 days earlier this year and the company began its harvest on July 22nd. "We were definitely ahead of schedule because of those growing conditions."
© Ben Holmes Potato Co.
Less demand in 2025
However, as many commodities are showing recently, demand for potatoes has been off this year. "It was slow to start compared to last year. I think there are more potatoes overall in the pipeline. There weren't any acreage changes in Minnesota but in Texas, there were at least 400 acres more of fresh crop potatoes that I don't think anybody really knew about until things got going," says Olson.
In turn, that has left a season with some of the softest pricing seen in a few years–prices stayed below average for most of the harvest.
For more information:
Kevin R. Olson
Ben Holmes Potato Co.
Tel: +1 (763) 261-0990
[email protected]
http://www.benholmespotato.com/
