Following a season in which massive rains and other extreme weather caused North Carolina sweet potato production drop, Vick Family Farms has good news for retailers and other customers this season.

The Wilson, NC-based sweet potato grower and distributor saw reduced yields of about 20 percent for the 2024 harvest, said Charlotte Vick, partner/sales and marketing manager at Vick Family Farms.

“Weather is always extremely important in growing sweet potatoes and not only affects yields but the quality of the crop,” Vick said. “Our yields for the 2024 crop were short by about 20 percent. Potatoes were much smaller in size. The quality was good and has held up well in storage.”

Harvest this season started Aug. 25 for Vick Family Farms, which is a normal kickoff for the grower. Although there were periods of extreme heat this summer, rain throughout most of the growing season helped the potatoes along. Vick Family Farms grows in eastern North Carolina in Nash, Wilson and Edgecombe counties.

“The last month has been very dry, and we could use some rain at this point to soften the ground and make harvest a little easier on the sweet potato,” Vick said in early September.

Despite reduced inventory as the shipping of 2024 crop neared an end, Vick Family Farms did not plant acreage early to get a jump on the transition to the new crop. Vick said sweet potatoes are sensitive to cooler weather early in their development, which can affect the shape of the potatoes.

“Quality for us is our number-one priority, so we just made sure to manage our inventory close to ensure we had enough to carry us through the summer,” she said. “Ideal planting is May to early July.”

Early indications from the new crop coming in from the fields point to yields that are “a little better than last season,” Vick said. Quality of the potatoes, however, is much improved.

“I have been very pleased with the consistent shape of the potatoes I have seen coming in on the harvest trucks,” Vick said.

Vick Family Farms will harvest into early November, with cured new-crop sweet potatoes shipping by late September.

“The cooler nights should help us to be able to cool these potatoes down quicker than last season,” she said. “We have not had to deal with excessive daytime heat in the last couple of weeks, and night temps have been cooler.”

Although Vick Family Farms ensured that customers received what they needed over the Thanksgiving and Christmas promotion periods last year, maintaining a supply through the transition to the 2025 crop required constant communication with those customers.

“I think they have all been very patient and given us a lot of grace this season,” Vick said. “I think they really understood last year was difficult and they too had prepared for a shorter crop and possibility they may have some gaps in supplies this summer. We certainly appreciate that because it was a stressful season.”

Vick Family Farms offers a range of packs and products, including three- and five-pound bags, steamable bags, individually wrapped bakers and tray packs. Vick said the value-added products continue to be a valuable option in getting more shelf space.

Vick Family Farms is constructing additional storage facilities that will be used for the 2025 crop, and the project should be completed by mid-September.

“This allows us to continue to ensure we have ample supplies throughout the year and will allow us to continue to grow our customer base,” she said.