U.S. domestic sweet potato shipments of the new crop started recently from two of the leading states, North Carolina and Louisiana.
Loading opportunities for sweet potatoes should be similar this season compared to a year ago from the top volume state of North Carolina, as well as from Louisiana. The harvest got underway in late August by some companies, while getting started in early September with others. Assuming the product is cured before shipping, this mean the hauling season has barely started.
Observers believe there are around 3.1 billion pounds of sweet potatoes to be shipped during the season that lasts about a year from approximately August to August.
SMP Southeast/Edmonson Farms, Vardaman, MS has added 350-400 acres this season with its beauregard, bellevue and orleans varieties.
Wayne E. Bailey Produce Co., Chadbourn, N.C., began its harvest the latter part of August, about a week earlier than last year and hopes to wrap up digging by the end of October.
Some sweet potatoes from this past season are still being shipped from storage as is the case with Ham Produce Co. Inc., Snow Hill, N.C. It should complete shipments of the old crop by the end of September, while transiting to its 2017 crop.
Potato and sweet potato shipper Wada Farms Marketing Group LLC, of Idaho Falls, ID markets sweet potatoes for some growers in sweet potato producing states. Its growers started harvesting around the start of September.
Kornegay Family Produce, Princeton, N.C., began harvesting around Labor Day.
Meanwhile, Southern Produce Distributors Inc., Faison, N.C., launched its harvest the first week of September with the covington variety and planned to start digging murasakis, an increasingly popular purple-skin, white-flesh Asian variety, three weeks later.
Garber Farms, Iota, LA., was on a similar path to getting its season underway and like other areas, was reporting good, quality sweet potatoes.