Posts Tagged “Mississippi sweet potato shipments”
Mississippi’s sweet potato harvest began in the last week of August 2026, with timely rainfall supporting crop development despite hot and dry conditions affecting other crops in the state.
Lorin Harvey, sweet potato specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said rainfall arrived at key stages of the growing cycle. “It’s a strong-looking crop, but you can never really tell until you start digging,” Harvey said. “We got timely rains, which will probably be the biggest factor for this year’s success.”
Growers planted about 35,800 acres of sweet potatoes this year, an increase of almost 10 per cent. Sweet potato area in Mississippi has increased nearly 25 per cent over the past five years.
Harvey attributed the expansion to lower yields in 2025, which resulted in higher demand and prices, as well as low prices for other agricultural commodities.
Planting started in late April for many growers, with cooler temperatures allowing plants to establish before summer heat arrived.
Average yields and volume for 2020 is seen by the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Calhoun County.
About a third of the state’s crop is planted there. For the last five years, the state’s total sweet potato acreage has ranged from 27,000 and 30,000 acres.
About 9,000 to 10,000 acres of that total are located in Calhoun County.
This year’s Mississippi sweet potato harvest go underway in September an initial reports from the field indicate an average yield for 2020.
Roughly one-fifth of this year’s planting had been harvested as of September 21, according to a report from the USDA. At that time 64 percent was graded in fair condition, with 26 percent rated good.
After two consecutive years of lower-than-normal sweet potato shipments, North Carolina appears to back on track this season.
Weather factors cut into acreage and ultimately shipments, but the Tarheel state is forecast to have 66,000 acres for the 2014-15 season. Of these total plantings, it is predicted 65,000 of those acres will be harvested, equal to almost half of the nation’s crop.
For the 2013-14 season there were only 54,000 acres of sweet potatoes planted.
The short crop last year resulted in some growers halting shipments in late August after running out of supplies of stored sweet potatoes, before they could harvest and cure their 2014-15 crop. Curing takes five to 10 days, and then they are stored at 55-60 degrees for up to a year.
On September 14 about 27 percent of the sweet potato crop in North Carolina had been harvested. Plantings hit a high for the 2011-12 season in the United States with 134,000 acres planted. Of that total 65,000 acres were in the Tarheel state.
Acreage planted dropped for the 2012-13 season to 130,500 acres nationwide, with 63,000 acres planted in North Carolina.
Among the major sweet potato shipping areas in North Carolina, are such rural towns as Chabourn, Faison, Sims, Snow Hill and Wilson.
North Carolina sweet potato shipments – grossing about $2250 to Miami.
Mississippi sweet potato shipments – grossing about $1100 to Atlanta.
Louisiana sweet potato shipments – grossing about $1900 to Chicago.