The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has slammed broadside against the Washington potato and dairy industries, with both facing the prospect of dumping product because markets have disappeared, reports Thomas Clouse of The Spokesman-Review.
Restaurants have mostly shut down, which eliminated a major market for processed potatoes. That includes everything from instant mashed potatoes to french fries. As a result, Washington growers have 1 billion pounds of potatoes in storage with no place to sell them, said Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington Potato Commission.
