Wait a minute. A potato shortage? In Idaho? Here’s why.
Boise State Public Radio News | By George Prentice
Published August 9, 2022 at 5:45 PM MDT
Idaho has a potato shortage. If you haven't heard about it already or noticed fewer and fewer potatoes in your grocery store's produce section, you will soon.
So, what's the problem? The weather. Not this year’s weather, mind you. It’s the weather from over a year ago that’s to blame.
“I'm not sure if you remember last June, but we had some just unbelievably hot temperatures here in Idaho. It did a number on our potato crop,” said Jamey Higham, president and CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission. “And so, our yields were significantly down last year.”
Now, keep that in mind when you learn that a previous year's potato crop cycle is supposed to last through the following August. And before the 2022 harvest comes into the pipeline (it’s just now beginning), consumers are facing the shortage from last year's crop.
”There is not a gap. There are just less potatoes being shipped right now than there normally are this time of year because of the shorter supply that we started the season with,” said Higham.
With Idaho potatoes being a multi-billion-dollar industry, Higham has had to explain to more than a few people lately why last year’s crop was considerably lower than expectations, and the fact that the remains from the crop are trickling to stores in Idaho and beyond.
“As the fresh market goes, the grocery stores – your Albertsons, Walmart, WinCo, that stuff – it is not just Idaho that's having high prices right now. It's the other states as well.”
more
https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/news/2022-08-09/idaho-potato-shortage-harvest-spud
