It’s weeks away from the first harvest of sweetpotatoes in the South, but Rene Simon, director of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, part of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, said growers in the state have good stands for the crop.
“I don’t think we’re going to set any huge records, although some of our farmers may have some of the best yields they’ve had in years compared to last year,” he said. “Last year was an extreme drought year. The crop was average at best.”
While the northern part of the state has been drier than the southern region this year, Simon said growers expect to see a good crop thanks to temperate weather.
“They’ve had good rain, so they haven’t had to irrigate much,” he said. “I think compared to last year, we should be way ahead.”
Autumn Campbell, sales manager at Wynne, Ark.-based Matthews Ridgeview Farms, said this season’s crop is shaping up to be similar to last year’s thanks to good growing conditions in the state.
“The weather has been milder for Arkansas this summer compared to usual summers. We have had sufficient rain but not too much, and overall, conditions have been good,” she said. “There are always challenges throughout the year, but we had a successful planting season for the 2024 crop with added acreage and storage crop is in good shape as we approach harvest.”
Matt Garber, manager of storage, packing and marketing for Iota, La.-based Garber Farms, said this growing season has been pretty much perfect.
“So far the growing season has been ideal at Garber Farms — adequate moisture, no flooding rains and temperatures, not too much on the high side,” he said. “We hope to fill up all of the storage buildings this year after falling short last year with the extreme drought in our area.”
Why Southern sweetpotatoes?
Garber says a longer growing season and less-sandy soils help Southern sweetpotatoes hold in storage and have a better shelf life. Campbell says the South has a rich history of sweetpotato growing.
“Sweetpotatoes have been grown in the south since the 1600s,” she said.
Simon says sweetpotatoes have a rich history in the Bayou State, and researchers at Louisiana State University’s Sweet Potato Research Station have been breeding sweetpotatoes specifically for the South.
“We’ve been growing and promoting the best sweetpotatoes in the South for a long time, and we just feel like we have a step up between these beautiful alluvial soils from the Mississippi River that allows for just a great growing season for us. And then the experience of our growers stands out,” he said.
One such release from LSU is an early-maturing variety called Avoyelles, named for the parish where scientists initially found the variety. Simon said it will take a few years before there’s a marketable volume of Avoyelles.
A challenge for the Southern sweetpotato industry is encouraging the next generation to grow vegetable crops. Simon said this is in part because of the upfront investment in growing sweetpotatoes and the unpredictable weather; a few years ago it was too wet, and last year was too dry.
“We’re having a tough time finding young growers to be able to carry on the legacy of our strategic tradition here in Louisiana,” he said. “That offers some opportunities, and everyone wants to eat something local and our marketing campaign is focused on the South.”
Simon said the region offers opportunities for both fresh and processing, and he’s noticed more growers are seeing openings in the fresh market.
“Some of those growers are starting to realize, ‘We’re missing out. Not only can we grow for the processor who we’ve been growing for exclusively, but there’s an opportunity for some fresh market too,’” he said. “So, some of those growers are going to start taking advantage of that fresh market opportunity, and that’ll help their bottom line.”
Sweetpotato trends
Consumers are interested in locally grown sweetpotatoes, Simon said, and he’s noticed that consumers are starting to recognize different varieties of sweetpotatoes, much like they do with apples.
“Some people are starting to differentiate those varieties a little bit and are starting to ask for them specifically,” he said. “When people start to learn a little bit about different varieties and the different aspects, they start to pick up on [the differences]. I have people a lot of times that will call me and ask me about a specific variety and where they can get that variety.”
Campbell said she’s also seen growing interest in how sweetpotatoes fit into healthy eating and plant-based diets. She’s also noticed a rise in sweetpotatoes being featured on restaurant menus.
Simon said Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission has focused on touting the health benefits of incorporating sweetpotatoes into meals.
“It’s a wonderful orange flesh the sweetpotato offers,” he said. “It’s certainly also a great alternative to carrots or any other orange flesh vegetable. We certainly recognize that, and we continue to push that aspect.”
Garber said he’s noticed a shift in what buyers are asking for, too.
“The number of buyers calling for our process grade of sweetpotatoes is up and it is for a lot of different uses,” he said. “Our ability to sell the grades that are not U.S. No. 1 is very important to our ability to make a profit.”
Sweetpotato merchandising
Garber said retailers should think about offering smaller sizes of sweetpotatoes along with the U.S. No. 1 grade medium sweetpotato, as a study by the National Sweet Potato Council showed a consumer preference for smaller-sized sweetpotatoes.
“A lot of people prefer the small sweetpotatoes, so offering them will help move more volume,” he said.
Garber said that, with the growing interest in healthy eating, retailers should highlight the health benefits in displays.
“Promote nutrition and health. Call it an orange superfood,” he said. “Any health highlight will help move more volume.”
Garber said it’s also important for retailers to think beyond the holidays and winter to help promote sweetpotatoes in April, May and June. Sweetpotatoes are a healthy alternative and can be a great item to grill.
“In the middle of the summer, you don’t necessarily want a sweetpotato casserole,” he said. “You’re looking for something a little not quite as labor intensive — something that you can put on a grill or in an outdoor kitchen.”
Simon said retailers can use recipes to help promote sweetpotatoes during the summer months. The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission features seasonal recipes on its Facebook page.
“We’re trying to promote sweetpotatoes year-round — and most of that’s done via Facebook page or our website — and trying to tailor our recipes to be able to reflect the seasonality of the sweetpotato,” he said. “We do have great-quality fresh sweetpotato, but a good sweetpotato fry is hard to beat.”
