Red River Valley business strong; yellow potato production is doubled
Red River Valley business strong; yellow potato production is doubled
“Business is good. No one is complaining about it being slow,” Ted Kreis said of Red River Valley potato shippers on Nov. 15.
Kreis is the marketing director for the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, which is located in East Grand Forks, MN.
“Demand for red potatoes is good throughout the country,” he added. “Prices are ok but they could be better. There are a lot of red potatoes on the market. Wisconsin yields are high. Idaho grew more potatoes. All of the U.S. has got to be up for red potato production.”
Promoting Red River Valley red potatoes from the booth of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association at the PMA Fresh Summit in New Orleans, Oct. 19, were Ted Kreis, marketing direction of the association, with Steve Tweten, president of NoKota Packers, Inc., and Diane Peycke, finance director of the association.Kreis noted that “overall, potato production is down five percent through the country this year. It seems there is an abundant supply of promotable product. The Red River Valley is down compared to last year by seven percent.”
Kreis noted that growers in his Red River Valley region have doubled yellow production over a year ago. “Yellow production is 10 percent of our crop this year. Last year, it was four or five percent. Before that it was two or three percent.”
One Red River Valley grower has shifted all production to yellow potatoes, while two other sheds have also significantly increased production.
The Red River Valley this year will produce between 300,000 and 400,000 hundredweight of yellow potatoes, Kreis said.
According to the Nov. 1 USDA estimate, North Dakota’s 2013 potato crop will come in at 22.6 million hundredweight, down about 10.1 percent from last year.
