Mississippi’s biggest sweet potato grower expects a smooth transition between old crop and new crop supplies this year.
Marshall Bailey, partner with Bruce Sweet Potato Inc., Bruce, Miss., said that the firm grows about 4,000 acres of sweet potatoes in the state, and is the largest sweet potato grower by area in Mississippi.
New crop supplies should be available by September, and Bailey said he expects a smooth transition. The company last year put in place a new packing line that doubled the firm’s capacity.
“Everything seems to be right on schedule as long as no major weather events take place to slow anything down,” he said in early July. Average yields are expected, too.
The company will be offering four-pack trays beginning in early 2023, Bailey said.
Higher gas prices and tighter consumer budgets may have contributed to a slowdown in demand in the summer, Bailey said.
“Gas prices seemed to really affect things more than people realized,” he said.
However, it appeared that gas prices were moderating in July and August compared with June. The average gasoline price in July, as reported by the U.S. Department of Energy, was $4.67 per gallon, down 7% from June’s average of $5.03 per gallon.
All year long
In 2021, the USDA reported shipments of Mississippi sweet potatoes in every month of the year, with peak volume reported in November and March. Total 2021 shipments of Mississippi sweet potatoes were 117.1 million pounds, down from 128.1 million pounds in 2020, but up from 115.9 million pounds in 2019.
The USDA reported sweet potato acres harvested in 2021 totaled 29,500 acres, unchanged from 2020 but up 2,000 acres from 27,500 in 2019. The state’s utilized fresh market production totaled 2.655 million cwt in 2021, down from 3.54 million cwt in 2020, but up from 2.344 million cwt in 2019, reported the USDA.
The U.S. average terminal market price for Mississippi sweet potatoes for the week of Aug. 6 was $20.77 per carton, up from $20.17 per carton a year ago and off slightly from $21.36 two years ago.
