The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association has been representing growers throughout northwest Minnesota and all of North Dakota for more than 75 years, advocating for more than 200 grower members and 250 associate members who mostly call the Red River Valley home.

The mission of the NPPGA is to promote profitability and unity of the potato growers of the two neighboring states through the development and promotion of quality potatoes and potato products.

Due to their sweetness and pleasant texture, sweet potatoes are a multipurpose vegetable that more consumers are starting to add to their grocery carts regularly—especially in the fall, when sweet potatoes’ scrumptious taste and vivid coloring perfectly represent the season when leaves drop to the ground.

And while sweet potatoes have been historically known as a dish served for Thanksgiving and Christmas, with increased consumer demand of healthy eating habits, sweet potatoes are no longer just a holiday food.

“We define sweets” is one of the mottos of Matthew Ridgeview Farms, but sweet potatoes define the company as well.

“Sweet potatoes are who we are and what we do,” said Autumn Campbell, sales manager for the Wynne, AR-based company, explaining the company has been farming sweet potatoes for more than 100 years.

The people at the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission are always hard at work promoting the growers and produce professionals who provide people with delicious and nutritious sweet potatoes. But 2022 is a particularly special year for the commission as it is celebrating its 70th anniversary.

“We’ve had a good year, we’ve promoted that, and we’ve done some new ads that really feature our farmers,” said René Simon, director of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission.

Over the years, Farm Fresh Produce has established an outstanding reputation for providing its customers with excellent produce, and sweet potatoes are one of the key products that has made the company a success.

“We plan on growing and marketing 4,000 acres of sweet potatoes this year, which includes 2,000 acres of our own product,” said Steven Ceccarelli, president of Farm Fresh Produce, headquartered in Faison, NC.

As the only grower-owned cooperative in the Red River Valley, with 17 farmers working in Minnesota and North Dakota, Associated Potato Growers, Inc., takes pride in producing high-quality products that are both healthy and delicious.

The current potato harvest is in process and as of Sept. 19, it looks like there will be a nice quality of potatoes this upcoming season. That’s a relief to many in the Red River Valley, as last year was not the strongest season.