Checking in on top-of-mind issues for Idaho potato growers, The Packer’s Tom Karst visited April 30 with Shawn Boyle, president and general counsel for the Idaho Grower Shippers Association.
Uncertainty mixed with some economic devastation is a common thread not only for Idaho potato growers but for produce growers all over the world, Boyle said.
While foodservice demand all but disappeared during the COVID-19 lock-down, Boyle said market conditions were changing daily.
“Foodservice business is starting to pick back up a little bit: slowly, but it is moving in the right direction,” he said
Boyle said the 2019-20 potato marketing season is as wild as any in the last 100 years.
“These may be some of the craziest times that our organization has ever seen,” he said, noting swings in bullish and bearish market sentiment over the past few months.
Boyle discusses market prospects for the balance of the season and the outlook on planting activity for Idaho potatoes.
Boyle also shared grower views on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families produce box program.
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