Pricing on North Carolina sweet potatoes is somewhat down from a year ago at this time. "Pricing is a bit shorter because there's more supply this year. There will also be more supply as we go into the summer because there will be a better crop in storage," says Matt Solana, VP of operations/supply chain with the Jackson Farming Company. "It's still good pricing but it's not what it was a year ago when everyone knew they would be short. It can always be better because we're always trying to cover labor and input costs but it works."
© Jackson Farming Company
This follows a greater crop of sweet potatoes from the state this year after last year's crop was impacted by both flooding and droughts. "This year, it was a good season as far as moisture. That stopped though about mid-August–it just quit raining and it had not started raining again until the past seven to 10 days," says Solana. "We had enough moisture in the ground though and enough irrigation that while we did have to sit out for a few days from harvest because of the rain, harvest generally went pretty well."
Moisture and sizing
Harvest finished up in mid-November and that timing actually allowed the crop to size up. "We were concerned on the front part that as the drought set in, we might get smaller sizing like we did last year. This year, with the moisture ahead of time, even though it did start to dry out, the potatoes sized up and it was a good harvest in October and the first part of November," says Solana.
© Jackson Farming Company
That sizing paid off in producing a crop with largely #1 category of potatoes with some smaller product for steamer and microwaveable bags as well as some jumbo potatoes.
As for demand, Thanksgiving–the holiday that sees the strongest demand for sweet potatoes–saw good pulls and movement. Demand slowed down the week following the holiday, as it does for many commodities as consumers finish holiday leftovers, though looking ahead it's anticipated to be good for the upcoming holidays that feature sweet potatoes such as Christmas, New Year's and Easter. "We're seeing more orders already for Christmas and it will continue to build up to the week before Christmas. We expect heavy orders up until about the 20th to set up for Christmas," says Solana.
For more information:
Matt Solana
Jackson Farming Company
www.jfcmelons.com
