Often associated with Europe, the humble potato is a product of the New World. And though its origins are in South and Central America, it is ideally suited to the climates of the northern United States and Canada.
The vast majority of the U.S. potato production—nearly 90 percent—is in the fall, with winter, spring, and summer combined accounting for the rest. Although many states grow potatoes seasonally, Idaho and Washington are the nation’s top growers, in terms of both acreage and total production. The rest of the U.S. top ten by production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are Wisconsin, North Dakota, Colorado, Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan, California, and Maine. North of the border, most Canadian provinces have the right climate for potatoes, with Manitoba and Prince Edward Island in the Maritimes sporting an excellent reputation for spuds.
With potatoes ever more in demand both domestically and internationally—including both fresh and processed (into fries, chips, frozen foods, and dozens of other permutations)—it’s a good time to be a potato grower.
The West
The Pacific Northwest, with its frequent rainfall, nutrient-heavy volcanic soil, and warm days balanced by cool nights, is America’s perfect climatological region for potato growing. When a state’s license plates trumpet this “famous” crop, you know potatoes are firmly ingrained in daily life—this is definitely true for Idaho, the nation’s leading producer of tasty tubers.
Nearly 400,000 acres are dedicated to potato growing in Idaho with a yield value of over $983 million in 2012. Some 60 percent of the state’s production goes to French fries alone. Though its climate makes it ideal to be the kingdom of the potato, Idaho growers do face challenges, including nailing down a reliable workforce, facing foreign competition (China and India are now the world’s leading producers of potatoes), and water.
Since Idaho recently suffered through a moderate to severe drought, Travis Blacker of the Idaho Potato Commission said, “We’re hoping for a good winter with lots of snowpack in the mountains to fill up our reservoirs.”
But while Idaho potatoes are known all over the world, Washington, its neighbor to the west, is right on its heels. With a similar climate and a perfect environment for harvesting in the cool, loamy Cascade Mountains region, Washington produced a crop worth $771 million last year. If added together, Idaho and Washington outgrow every other potato-producing state in the United States combined.
Often associated with Europe, the humble potato is a product of the New World. And though its origins are in South and Central America, it is ideally suited to the climates of the northern United States and Canada.
The vast majority of the U.S. potato production—nearly 90 percent—is in the fall, with winter, spring, and summer combined accounting for the rest. Although many states grow potatoes seasonally, Idaho and Washington are the nation’s top growers, in terms of both acreage and total production. The rest of the U.S. top ten by production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are Wisconsin, North Dakota, Colorado, Oregon, Minnesota, Michigan, California, and Maine. North of the border, most Canadian provinces have the right climate for potatoes, with Manitoba and Prince Edward Island in the Maritimes sporting an excellent reputation for spuds.
With potatoes ever more in demand both domestically and internationally—including both fresh and processed (into fries, chips, frozen foods, and dozens of other permutations)—it’s a good time to be a potato grower.
The West
The Pacific Northwest, with its frequent rainfall, nutrient-heavy volcanic soil, and warm days balanced by cool nights, is America’s perfect climatological region for potato growing. When a state’s license plates trumpet this “famous” crop, you know potatoes are firmly ingrained in daily life—this is definitely true for Idaho, the nation’s leading producer of tasty tubers.
Nearly 400,000 acres are dedicated to potato growing in Idaho with a yield value of over $983 million in 2012. Some 60 percent of the state’s production goes to French fries alone. Though its climate makes it ideal to be the kingdom of the potato, Idaho growers do face challenges, including nailing down a reliable workforce, facing foreign competition (China and India are now the world’s leading producers of potatoes), and water.
Since Idaho recently suffered through a moderate to severe drought, Travis Blacker of the Idaho Potato Commission said, “We’re hoping for a good winter with lots of snowpack in the mountains to fill up our reservoirs.”
But while Idaho potatoes are known all over the world, Washington, its neighbor to the west, is right on its heels. With a similar climate and a perfect environment for harvesting in the cool, loamy Cascade Mountains region, Washington produced a crop worth $771 million last year. If added together, Idaho and Washington outgrow every other potato-producing state in the United States combined.
As in the rest of the region, disease is a major issue, particularly late blight, pink rot, and potato virus Y (known as PVY), to which cultivars of the Pacific Northwest are especially susceptible. And while the constant moisture in the region aids in enriching the soil and speeding the growth cycle, it can also work against growers limiting harvest time as rains and early snow can slow the process and cause delays.
Colorado, which grows in both the fall and summer, faced reduced yields of almost 11 percent in total acreage in its top growing region, the San Luis Valley, where over 50,000 acres are dedicated to potatoes. This was due to a major water shortage in 2012 as well as lower market prices, but summer rains in July and August helped alleviate some of the impact and bolster harvest numbers.
Since Washington is a leading advocate of sustainable agriculture and caters to a demographic of locavores and foodies, there is a growing emphasis on new varieties, smart land management, and organic growing techniques. This is particularly true in the northern Skagit River Valley region, where Jack Wallace handles sales for G&D Wallace, Inc. “We had concerns over the weather this past season because of extended periods of rainfall,” he notes, discussing the area’s well known red potatoes. “But it dried up just in time, so we feel like we got a lucky break in terms of the harvest.”
The remainder of the northwest’s famed potatoes comes from Oregon, which planted its first spuds back in 1795 near Cape Disappointment on the Columbia River, in the southwestern corner of the state. Today, Oregon produces more than 2 billion pounds of potatoes annually.
The Midwest
Thanks largely to the punishing cold in the upper Midwest, potato cultivation can be a risky proposition with early frost a constant danger to the crop. As a result, the region is not as high in yields as the powerhouse Pacific Northwest, but Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan still rank among the nation’s top producers, averaging 15,000 to 20,000 hundred-weight each year, with an increasing amount of the region’s yield directed to chips, potato meal, mashed potato mixes, potato starch, seed, and feed.
Wisconsin is the third-largest domestic producer of potatoes in the United States, and is also a leader in sustainable growth for the crop. Since 2001, the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers have partnered with the likes of the World Wildlife Fund, International Crane Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin to create what has become the industry standard for sustainable potato harvests without harm to wildlife and the surrounding environment.
In Canada, the middle west portion of the country is the potato’s natural home. The province of Manitoba is one of the nation’s richest in potato production, both for fresh and processed uses; over 80,000 acres, most of them irrigated, are devoted to growing the crop and 40,000 more are currently being planned.
Manitoba accounts for half of Canada’s production of French fry potatoes, and a fifth of its overall yield; the province is also a leading center of potato processing, with Simplot, Midwest Food Products, Naleway Foods, and McCain Foods all maintaining large presences in the area for the production and export of everything from potato chips to pierogies.
The Northeast
Prince Edward Island is to Canada what Idaho is to the United States in terms of potatoes. Spuds are a major source of revenue on this little island of the Maritime Provinces, and their annual production accounts for a quarter of the country’s potatoes.
A full range of varieties—including reds, whites, yellows, and blues—as well as fingerlings and ‘new’ potatoes are harvested during Prince Edward Island’s July-to-September shipping season. The province exports to places far and near, including the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia, despite somewhat higher shipping, labor, and fuel costs.
Nearly two-thirds of Prince Edward Island’s crop is used in processed products, with 30 percent going to fresh markets and the remainder used as feed and seed. It’s even infused the culture of the small province; just like Idaho has its famed spuds, Prince Edward Island’s potatoes have been immortalized in several songs by Canadian country music legend Stompin’ Tom Connors. The “bright red mud” praised in the song “Bud the Spud” is full of volcanic ash and rich mineral content, which, according to Bill Enserink of Red Isle Produce Company, Ltd., accounts for the soil’s ability to sustain and nurture a number of varieties that don’t often thrive elsewhere.
Thanks to its proximity to the Maritimes, Maine is the leading U.S. producer of fall potatoes in the northeast, with over 58,000 acres and an annual yield worth $125 million. Both Pennsylvania and New York grow fall potatoes and have grower associations and established state branding programs to promote and sell their spuds. Another East Coast player is New Jersey, which grows potatoes in the summer along with Maryland and Delaware.
According to Ron Budd, vice president of Gloucester County Packing Company, “The New Jersey Department of Agriculture does an excellent job promoting New Jersey-grown produce; it’s amazing how powerful the Jersey Fresh brand is.” He also draws attention to a number of new varieties coming out of Cornell University: “Although they have been around for awhile, the ‘Reba’ and ‘Eva’ round white varieties have performed very well. Growers like the yields they produce, and the flavor is well-liked by consumers, as is the thin skin and bright appearance.”
Despite only 3,000 acres of growing land, thanks to its milder climate, New Jersey also features a slightly longer harvesting season than its nearby Canadian neighbors, extending into the first week of November. The toughest challenge facing Jersey grower-shippers, according to Budd, is product safety as the Food Safety Modernization Act gets closer to full implementation. His advice is simple: “If you’re going to be a supplier with major retailers, you better have your food safety program in order.”
The South
With potatoes such a huge part of Southern cuisine, it is rare to find a cookbook from the region without at least a half-dozen potato salad recipes. It is also the destination for much of the entire country’s spuds as in-home potato consumption is a national high at 37 percent in the American South, and it is the only region where potato consumption has increased over the last decade rather than dropped or remained static.
The South is not, however, a major potato-producing region despite plentiful growing land. Dry soil and heat are not amenable to a rich potato crop, but the region does benefit from its different growing season with Texas, North Carolina, and Florida all harvesting potatoes in spring and summer while the rest of the country relies on fall crops. Overall, spud crop value for the South reaches around $265 million annually, with total acreage reaching about 72,000 for the region.
Conclusion
While it is true there is greater competition from Asia and international markets for potatoes, the U.S. and Canada continue to be leaders in this all-important market.
Yes, there is pressure to grow new varieties, lengthen harvests, and extend storage and shelf life, but the simple spud remains not only North America’s leading vegetable crop, but the fourth largest food crop on the planet.
Image: Shutterstock
