A heatwave kicking off around mid-September delayed or interrupted the start of the 2024 harvest for most Red River Valley potato growers, but digging was expected to be back on schedule by the end of that month.
Temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s were expected throughout the 300-mile valley in upper Minnesota and North Dakota, said Gary Shields, executive director of the Northland Potato Growers Association, East Grand Forks, Minn.
Acreage was up in one region this year and down a bit in the other.
Growers planted 74,000 acres of red and yellow potatoes in North Dakota, about 2,000 acres less than last year, and expected to produce about 24 million hundredweight — 9% less than in 2023, Shields said. Minnesota growers planned to harvest up to 46,000 acres, down about 100 acres from last year, and should dig about 19 million hundredweight, up 3.6% from 2023.
O.C. Schulz & Sons Inc., Crystal, N.D., started its harvest Sept. 10 but was putting digging on hold until the heat subsided, said Dave Moquist, an owner of the company.
“With weather, you have to just play it by ear,” he said.
He expected to harvest for three or four weeks and start shipping in mid-to-late October.
“We need to put the potatoes into storage and make sure they’re cooled down enough to be able to ship,” Moquist said.
The company likely will ship until early May, depending on crop size and demand.
“We’re looking forward to an average to above-average crop with good quality,” he said.
NoKota Packers Inc., Buxton, N.D., had harvested 15% of its crop before shutting down temporarily during the heatwave, said Mike Rerick, vice president of sales.
The heat was not expected to affect the quality of the crop, he said, but it will be a challenge if the heat is followed by rain, which would keep pickers out of the field, and even worse if the rain were followed by a freeze.
“The calendar is never nice to us up here,” he said.
As of Sept. 10, though, Rerick said, “We’re happy with what we see.”
He expected a normal-size crop with about 75% red potatoes and 25% yellow.
Potatoes could lose a bit of color after sitting out in the hot sun, said Mike Torgerson, CEO at Associated Potato Growers Inc., Grand Forks, N.D.
But overall, “We’re sitting pretty,” he said.
Torgerson expected the company’s volume to be up slightly this year because of good rainfall numbers, and he said size of the potatoes should be decent with prices comparable to last year.
Although red potatoes account for the majority of Red River Valley spuds, yellows are gaining acceptance.
“Everybody in central Minnesota has increased their acreage,” said Kevin Olson, owner of Ben Holmes Potato Inc., Becker, Minn.
“We never used to grow any yellow potatoes up there,” he said. “Now it’s a huge portion of the acres grown.”
Olson, who said he markets most of the potatoes produced by Peatland Reds Inc., Trail, Minn., said growing conditions were “mostly optimal” this year, with timely rains and good weather.
“Overall, we expect a good-quality crop,” he said.
Potato growers in the Red River Valley, where most of the tubers are grown without irrigation, think they produce something special.
Consumers throughout the U.S. and beyond love Red River Valley potatoes, Shields said.
“They love that tasty dryland fresh potato,” he said.
Olson agreed.
“The flavor of a dryland potato is still tough to beat,” he said.
Many factors contribute to the popularity of the potatoes, Rerick said.
“The rich black soil is a big part, and dryland gown helps color and nutrients and gives a little bit different taste than a potato that is irrigated,” he said.
