North Carolina is just starting up its harvest on sweet potatoes.
“We’re actually a bit later this year to start. Normally the week after Labor Day is when we start but this year we’re behind due to a lot of early rain. That’s good for the growing season but we felt like it washed away a lot of fertilizer,” says Johnnie K. Herring of Faison, NC-based Farm Fresh Produce, Inc. The end of harvest is generally two weeks into November, barring any unforeseen weather events such as an early frost.
This year the state has seen good growing conditions for its sweet potatoes. “We haven’t had a hurricane this year. With spot checks, the potatoes look small but yields and quality look very good,” says Herring.
Along with North Carolina, some other states are working on their sweet potato production. Herring says Arkansas has very little volume but Mississippi is starting production and Louisiana is also shipping. “California has some volume but they typically expand towards the Midwest and the West Coast more than they do the East Coast. They’ll ship a bit into New York but they’re not a big issue,” says Herring.
Similar demand
As for demand, Herring notes it’s steady and looks similar to last year at this time. “The quantity and volume is about to increase as it always does for Thanksgiving. The ultimate determiner will be what happens after Thanksgiving,” he says.
What’s proving to be a challenge though for sweet potato growers (and growers of many commodities) is inflation. “The biggest hurdle is coming off of COVID. A lot of supplies and input costs have doubled or tripled this year,” says Herring.
At the same time, the market price on sweet potatoes is dropping, though Herring notes that it’s happening for many commodities on the East Coast. “All the produce profits seem to be falling. Prices have already dropped 25 percent compared to last year,” says Herring. “It looks like we’ll have a big yield and sometimes retailers try and use that to their advantage. Pricing will probably stay lower for most of the year until we get to March or April.”
For more information:
Johnnie K. Herring
Farm Fresh Produce, Inc.
Tel: +1 (910) 920-9871
[email protected]
https://www.farmfreshproduce.com/