Spudman April 2023 - 27

Melinda Waldrop
MANAGING EDITOR
T
he 2022-23 storage crop of all
potatoes is down as much as 5%
from the previous year, a shortage
being most acutely felt in the organic
russet potato sector.
Packers are limiting shipments to
stretch supplies, with one producer
telling Organic Produce Network (OPN)
that the company is urging retailers not
to promote organic potatoes.
Several factors, including less acreage
and lower yields, are behind the shortage.
With a new potato crop not due
until spring, Rob Greenwood, program
development manager for RPE Inc. in
Bancroft, Wisconsin, is expecting a gap
on organic russets.
" From late April or early May to
at least mid-June, we are going to be
searching for potatoes, " he told OPN
in late February.
Conventional potatoes are also facing
shortages but have a larger pool of
available supply, Greenwood said.
The 2022 crop
marked the first
time annual potato
production dropped
for five consecutive
years, according to
the report.
A December 2022 report from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Economic Research Service found that
U.S. potato production declined 3%
in 2022 from the previous year. U.S.
growers planted 910,000 acres in 2022,
33,000 fewer than in 2021.
The 2022 crop marked the first time
annual potato production dropped
for five consecutive years, according
to the report.
Lonnie Gillespie, chief organic officer
at Farm Fresh Direct of America in Monte
Vista, Colorado, described to OPN an
" unprecedented shortage of organic
russets " at the company and nationwide.
" Organic yellows and reds are not
packing out with the quality we want to
see, but there are enough supplies to get
us through the season, " she said. " What
we are trying to do is work out deals to
get (organic) yellows and reds at a price
point that gives retailers something to
sell and gives consumers some potatoes
to buy at a reasonable price. "
Gillespie said Farm Fresh will begin
planting for the 2023 season in April.
" We have replaced our lost acreage,
and we are hoping Mother Nature
is kinder this year and we get better
yields, " she said.
Eric Beck, director of marketing for
Wada Farms Marketing Group in Idaho
Falls, Idaho, said both organic and
conventional crops reached historic
acreage lows in 2022.
Organic potato supplies are getting
tighter, Beck said, and predicted
shortages by mid-April.
New supply from California and other
regions is expected in April/May to help
ease the situation through summer.
Spudman.com 27

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Spudman April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spudman April 2023

Spudman April 2023 - 1
Spudman April 2023 - 1A
Spudman April 2023 - 2A
Spudman April 2023 - 2
Spudman April 2023 - 3
Spudman April 2023 - 4
Spudman April 2023 - 5
Spudman April 2023 - 6
Spudman April 2023 - 7
Spudman April 2023 - 8
Spudman April 2023 - 9
Spudman April 2023 - 10
Spudman April 2023 - 11
Spudman April 2023 - 12
Spudman April 2023 - 13
Spudman April 2023 - 14
Spudman April 2023 - 15
Spudman April 2023 - 16
Spudman April 2023 - 17
Spudman April 2023 - 18
Spudman April 2023 - 19
Spudman April 2023 - 20
Spudman April 2023 - 21
Spudman April 2023 - 22
Spudman April 2023 - 23
Spudman April 2023 - 24
Spudman April 2023 - 25
Spudman April 2023 - 26
Spudman April 2023 - 27
Spudman April 2023 - 28
Spudman April 2023 - 29
Spudman April 2023 - 30
Spudman April 2023 - 31
Spudman April 2023 - 32
Spudman April 2023 - 33
Spudman April 2023 - 34
Spudman April 2023 - 35
Spudman April 2023 - 36
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/spudman-november-december-2022
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