Powerful machines dug potatoes from the dirt last Thursday morning, cycling them onto a conveyor belt and dumping them into an truck that then transported them to a facility where they were to be washed, packaged and shipped.
Potato harvest in underway in Skagit County.
Skagit Valley Farm was in the third day of its potato harvest at its field off Cook Road near Burlington. Founder and CEO Tony Wisdom said the company expects to harvest potatoes through Thanksgiving.
Potatoes cover about 12,000 acres in Skagit County. Farmers produce an estimated $60 million in potatoes a year, making it the most lucrative crop in the county, according to 2018 agricultural statistics from the Washington State University Skagit County Extension.
Wisdom said, like many growers in the area, Skagit Valley Farm is also a packer and shipper. After harvest ends, the company shifts exclusively to packing and shipping potatoes.
He said Skagit Valley Farm sells white, yellow, red and purple potatoes to customers on the West and East coasts and in Canada.
