US: Red River Valley shipping ‘largest-volume crop in 20 or 25 years’, official says

Red River Valley growers of fresh market red and yellow potatoes this year are shipping five million hundredweight this season, the largest-volume crop in 20 or 25 years, according to Ted Kreis, marketing and communications director for Northern Plains Potato Growers Association based in East Grand Forks, MN. Kreis said this isn’t an all-time record, because the Red River Valley produced more potatoes in the 1960s and 1970s, “there were a lot more wash plants,” before there were so many competing growing regions. “I would really like to express how great our quality is. We’ve had problems the last few years. We had mud during a wet harvest last year. In 2015 we had growth cracks” on potatoes. But, “Our quality is excellent this year,” Kreis said. As sales progress this fall, “people are coming back for more.” Not only is the volume high and quality outstanding, but prices are even “holding their own” this fall. More