Washington and Oregon potato shipments may be down slightly this season, although good size and quality are being reported by growers.
Growing conditions have been very good so far this summer for Mattawa, Wash.-based
Del Christensen & Sons, of Mattawa, WA, whose potatoes are marketed by Eagle
Eye Produce, Idaho Falls, ID.
Eagle Eye notes the company, which ships russet potatoes year round from the Mattawa location, will begin its 2025 harvest in August and continue as late as mid-October.
Eagle Eye has been marketing product from Del Christensen & Sons, a multigenerational family farm, for about 10 years. Great size and great quality are being reported.
About 70% of the product grown by the Washington location of Eagle Eye Produce is shipped to retailers, and 30% goes to foodservice buyers.
Growing conditions also have been favorable for Norm Nelson Inc., of Burlington, WA. Good weather for planting and growing have been reported, with normal volume expected.
Established in the early 1940s, the family-owned company is now operated by members of the second and third generation.
Norm Nelson grows red, white, yellow and a few purple potatoes. Yellows have replaced red potato as the bestsellers.
The company will begin its harvest in early-to-mid-September and finish in early November. Potatoes will be shipped from storage through May.
Organically Grown Co., of Portland, OR sources and packs organic red, russet and yellow potatoes for retailers year round. It began its harvest in late July, with yellow potatoes leading its volume.
The shipper also handles specialty varieties of red, yellow, purple, fingerling and russet potatoes, most of which are available in 20-pound bulk cases.
Besides potatoes, Organically Grown Co. markets a full line of fresh organic produce year round that encompasses more n 350 commodities, Hardin adds.
Washington is second only to Idaho when it comes to potato production, according to the Washington Potato Commission of Moses Lake, WA.
The state’s growers harvested 159,500 acres of potatoes in 2024, according to USDA, and produced 101.2 million cwt for a value of $1.1 billion.
Acreage likely will drop to 145,000 to 150,000 acres this year as a result of softening demand, mostly for french fries and frozen potato products, the commission reports.
About 10% of the potatoes grown in Washington are shipped for the fresh market. The Columbia Basin in eastern Washington and the Skagit Valley are the state’s main potato-growing regions.
Oregon, the fourth-largest U.S. potato provider, produced 26,875,000 cwt of potatoes in 2024 for a value of $1.1 billion, according to the USDA.
About 5% to 10% of the state’s 43,000 harvested acres were devoted to fresh market product, notes the Oregon Potato Commission of Portland.
The state typically grows about 27 million cwt, but volume has been down the past couple of years because of a reduction in processed potato acreage. That shortfall is expected to continue for the 2025 season.
Potatoes are Oregon’s state vegetable, and they’re grown on 376 farms, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
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