If the red and yellow potatoes grown in the Red River Valley are known for their vibrant color and unique flavor, you can thank the growers and the East Grand Forks, Minnesota based Northland Potato Growers Association.
Originally named the Red River Valley Potato Growers Association, the organization has served as the cornerstone of the industry since its founding in 1946. It continues to support growers with research, breeding, marketing and legislative advocacy, says Gary Shields, executive director.
“Our goal is to take assessed dollars from growers and put them right back into research and breeding to make sure that our growers have the best tools available to develop the best varieties capable of combating common diseases and pests,” he says.
In all, the association has about 140 members that produce dryland red and/or yellow potatoes on about 16,500 acres in the 300-mile valley in upper Minnesota and North Dakota. About 25 multiple-generation family entities grow fresh-market potatoes.
Because these potatoes are grown without irrigation in the Red River Valley’s rich soils, they develop a higher solids content and denser flesh, says Jeff Lazur, who handles sales and marketing for H&S FreshPak Inc., Hoople, North Dakota, and who served as past NPGA chairperson. When cooked, however, they have a very moist, smooth and creamy texture with an exceptionally great flavor.
Most Red River Valley fresh potatoes are shipped from the Midwest eastward. Harvest typically runs from Labor Day to early October.
From the Fields
The weather was dry and unseasonably hot in the valley until the end of July this year, when conditions turned rainy. Showers picked up as harvest started in September.
“It’s looking right now that it might take the better part of October to get the crop off,” Lazur says.
Some areas received up to 4 inches of rain, pushing the harvest 10 days to two weeks behind schedule, Shields says.
“Red potatoes sized up better than expected due to the small sets, whereas the yellows set was much larger and didn’t size up as well because of the dry growing conditions resulting a drastic cut in yields in both the reds and yellows,” Lazur says.
The late July rain came too late to help the potato yields but was very beneficial as it softened the soil, making the harvesting conditions much better and helping prevent bruising and skinning of the tubers.
“That maintained the integrity of that beautiful skin as well as the overall quality of the crop,” Shields says.
The industry expects an average size crop this season, Shields says.
Growers ship out of storage until June, but the season might be a tad shorter this year. Shipments were expected to get up to speed by the end of October.
“We’re hopeful for a much stronger market,” Lazur says.
Although the region boasts the largest dryland fresh-market red and yellow potato industry in the U.S., processing potatoes actually account for more acreage in the valley, and growers also produce seed potatoes “and a fair share of chips,” Shields says.
Two major processing plants already are in operation, and a third is under construction. The new facility has the potential to handle more than 40,000 additional acres of processing dryland potatoes, he says.
Focus on the Future
NPGA also supports North Dakota State University and Minnesota State University breeding programs that develop fresh-market and other potato cultivars, Shields adds.
There is strong demand for the Red River Valley’s unique, dryland potatoes, “but we also have other industries; even our chip industry is going to grow,” he says.
That’s not to say growers aren’t facing any challenges.
“Like all commodities, we’re facing higher input costs,” Shields says.
“We have increased costs of production, and we have to stay in front of that,” he adds. “With our global geopolitical climate, we need to get business flowing again. The high price of fuel is certainly not helping.”
“We’re also coming off a year where prices were down considerably,” Lazur says. “Our fresh growers are feeling the same crunch as the commodity grower farmers are.”
But that has prevented some growers from keeping up with the latest technology.
“Most of the sheds in the Red River Valley have some type of technology for sorting and grading,” Lazur says.
That includes sorting equipment that can take up to 60 pictures of a potato per second, Shields says.
“The message that sends is that our fresh industry continues to invest in a very bright future due to demand of people wanting a quality, dryland red/yellow potato. It’s what kept our industry strong,” he says.
