Inside the Industry: Storage Spudman's editorial team recently polled readers on the topic of storage via an online survey. Here are the results: To which sector(s) of the potato industry do you sell potatoes from storage? (Check all that apply) [ Processing ...................................................62% Fresh ............................................................43% Foodservice .................................................19% Seed .............................................................17% Over the past five years, what has been your average yield loss during storage? 3% or less 5% 4 to 7% 38% 8 to 11% 48% 12 to 15% 5% More than 15% 4% What has been your biggest factor in storage loss over the past five years? Weight shrinkage Sprouting Disease/rot 38% 10% What is your biggest pre-storage challenge? (Below is average rating, with 5 being the most challenging and 1 the least challenging.) Cleaning and prepping the facility .....................3.7* Vine killing .........................................................3.6 Harvesting and transporting without bruising or wounding ........................................2.7 Maintaining optimal pulp temperature .............2.6 Identifying and managing diseases ...................2.5 *44% rated cleaning and prepping their most challenging You said it... Spudman's survey on storage is sponsored by Hansen-Rice Inc. " I would like to see more training on managing humidity and air flow during storage. " Spudman * July/August 2019 15 52% Are you satisfied with the chemicals and biologicals available to you to treat potatoes during storage? Very satisfied - 24% Somewhat satisfied - 67% Not satisfied - 9% On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate the level of training or instruction you have to effectively apply chemicals or biologicals during storage? 30% 20% 10% 0% 1 2 7 was the most popular answer with 24% 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rating (Scale of 1 to 10) Have you noticed a decline in color of red or purple potatoes during storage? Yes .....................................................38% No ......................................................10% Do not store red or purple potatoes .... 52% Have you noticed a correlation between applying nitrogen during the growing season and bruising during harvest and storage? No ......................................................76% Yes .....................................................24% 9 10 [ Respondents (%)