In 2022, the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission will celebrate its 70th year representing sweet potato growers, shippers, processors and bankers by educating consumers on the yam’s many nutritional attributes and versatility.

“The alluvium soils of Louisiana produce a high-quality product and our growers have been doing it a long time,” said Rene Simon, director of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission. “We also have the added benefit of the LSU Ag Center Sweet Potato Research Station, which is dedicated fully to sweet potatoes. Our growers have that knowledge available to them.”

The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission administrative office is located in the state’s capital city of Baton Rouge in the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, under the direction of Commissioner Mike Strain. The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission is the oldest commodity commission within the state.

“We thought it would be a good time to look at what we’ve done over the last 50 years,” Simon said. “We’re going to be putting together a big advertising campaign this year to highlight that and do a blitz around the state.”

That will involve visiting with the local areas around the state that grow sweet potatoes and meeting with local officials to ensure they know how important the industry is to the state.

“We’re going to try and get some resolutions passed in the state legislature and have the local governments highlight the significance of sweet potatoes and the 70th anniversary of the commission,” Simon said. “The ad campaign will highlight the history of the commission and just growing sweet potatoes in the state, which farmers have been doing commercially since 1912.”

In the past, the commission hasn’t focused too many efforts on the retail side of things, but with 2022 being the special anniversary, it will look to highlight farmers at the store level to help consumers feel the connection between someone growing sweet potatoes in Louisiana — someone who is their neighbor.

In mid-September, the Louisiana sweet potato crop was off to what Simon described as a “pretty good start.

“Harvest is beginning now and I’m getting reports that the harvest is looking good,” he said. “The farmers were spared the real grunt of Hurricane Ida. It passed through the east of the growing regions. It has been a little bit wet, so farmers have been fighting that a bit. All-in-all, it should be a good crop this season.”

Those in Louisiana believe they do a great job of growing a unique sweet potato — one that’s flavorful and among the top healthiest vegetables that are out there.

“Unfortunately, acreage has shrunk over the years, and one of the things concerning growers is that we don’t have new generations of growers coming in,” Simon said. “Our acreage is down to a little less than 7,000 acres this year. Most of our growers are trying to make sure they have someone that they can pass down the farm.”