Extra caution is advised if you plan on hauling last season storage potatoes out of Idaho. Some quality problems such as shoulder bruising and hollow heart are being reported.
The problem apparently is resulting from pressure and shoulder bruising (soft, external indents) because of constant contact with adjacent potatoes, or the floor, while the raw product sits in storage piles. Hollow heart (small, irregularly shaped internal craters) develops internally during the season when potatoes grow faster than normal due to adverse weather.
Idaho potato shippers are depleting their supplies from storage, and the Norkotah crop has been exhausted, leaving the Burbank variety until new crop arrives.
Burbanks will be the only variety available for shipping until the new crop of Norkotahs become available in August. Some suppliers expect a potential 7to 14 day shipping gap in early August.
New crop Norkotah harvesting is expected to begin in early August.
Storage supplies are available from many growing areas besides Idaho, including Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Wisconsin.