Skyline Potato expects orderly transition to new crop
Skyline Potato expects orderly transition to new crop
Skyline Potato, a grower-shipper based in Center, CO, is looking forward to a smooth transition to the new crop this year and the stability it will bring to the market.
Les Alderete, general manager, told The Produce News Aug. 5 that aside from a rainy week earlier this summer that set timing back by a week, weather has been favorable with warm days and cool nights, setting the stage for a crop with good yields and sizing.
“The crop is progressing nicely so far, and I expect yields to be similar to the five-year average,” he said. “Sizing is also expected to be decent, with ample supplies for retail promotions. And quality should be very high as well.”
Alderete said new crop harvest is expected to begin on Aug. 25 for some of the early varieties and will pick up in earnest after Labor Day.
The key difference between last year and this year, he said, is that in 2024 Skyline was still running old crop when new crop harvest began. This led to an oversupply of product and a downturn in prices.
He explained that prices typically spike when new crop comes on because supply is lower.
Last year, that did not happen due to the pronounced overlap.
“This year, we’ll have cleaned up the old crop before the new crop comes on, so there should be a much more orderly transition, which should help stabilize the market,” said Alderete.
Alderete said that while potatoes represent one of the best values in the produce department, he said there is still some pushback on pricing at the retail level.
“Luckily, demand for fresh is still holding steady, but on the processing side demand has been off a bit,” he said. “That mostly affects foodservice and imports. But I’m hoping that recovers this year,”
“We’ve got good quality and a size profile that is perfect for retail, along with a good supply that will support ads.”
Overall, Alderete is optimistic for the upcoming season and believes it will be a successful one.
