Unseasonably warm temperatures have slowed the potato harvest across Wisconsin, leaving growers behind schedule while they face a difficult market environment.
Ryan Walther, farm manager at Alsum Farms in Friesland, said the prolonged heat has extended the harvest period and slowed operations across the region. "All the heat that we've had this year put a lot of folks later than they'd like to be, really, really slow potato harvest," Walther said. "To anybody I've talked to in the state or neighboring states, Michigan, Minnesota, it's just very, very slow."
Wisconsin's harvest usually runs from August through October. Early digging began on time, but storage conditions have become the main challenge. "For storage potatoes, it's extremely important that you do it in the correct temperatures," Walther said. "If you put them away hot, there's a lot of risk involved with that between the potatoes rotting in the storage or the quality being poor."
To manage the heat, some farms have shifted their schedules to begin harvesting at midnight, avoiding daytime temperatures. Cooler weather in late October has offered some relief, though it introduces frost risks. "There is some frost freeze risk here," Walther said. "They will rot if they freeze, and they'll have blemishes. They're pretty much unmarketable."
According to Walther, yields appear stable, though not exceptional. While production remains consistent, market conditions are difficult, with low prices and oversupply affecting growers across the Midwest. Demand has weakened, particularly in chip stock, where acreage is being redirected toward table potatoes, adding to supply. At the same time, higher volumes from western U.S. regions are contributing to the market surplus.
"I don't know if it's all from exports or over-planting, but there's a lot of supply. Potatoes are actually being dumped, that I've heard, just because there's not a market for it right now," Walther said. "I know potatoes are coming from Idaho that are cost-competitive to what we're putting out in Wisconsin, which says how low they're willing to go to sell the product. So again, it's very competitive, very tight right now."
Walther remains hopeful that export and domestic demand will recover in the months ahead. "Fingers are crossed that things start to take a turn here for the better on pricing, demand, and exports go up," he said. "Fortunately, here at Alsum Farms, we're in a good position. But especially some of these smaller farms. You hate to see them get in a bad place because it can be hard to weather these storms."
Source: Q106
