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SAN LUIS VALLEY POTATOES
Organic acreage increase continues and good quality crop prevails as San Luis Valley potato volume hits the market
BY SANDY LINDBLAD LEE
CPotatoes in full bloom in the San Luis Valley enhance the beauty of this region.
olorado’s scenery, climate and popularity as a tourist destina- tion often overshadow some of its less obvious assets, such as its high-quality fresh potatoes. e
San Luis Valley in southwestern Colorado provides a perfect locale for producing some of the best potatoes on the planet, which potato buyers are again welcoming into the market.
With more than 300 days of sunshine a year and grown at an elevation of 7,600 feet, Colorado’s San Luis Valley is situ- ated between the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges, and is the highest and largest alpine valley in the world where commercial crops are grown.
Potatoes are planted in rich soil that contains unique mineral deposits, as the valley used to be a lakebed in the ancient past. Today, minerals are continuously depos- ited here from numerous mountain rivers, and the surrounding mountains provide a supply of pure mountain water from the annual snow melt. e altitude naturally decreases the like- lihood of disease and pests, minimizing the need for pesticide use. is also makes the region more favorable for organic production.
Combine those features with a 2018 high-quality crop, which several growers have described as the best they’ve seen in 20 years, and buyers have been gifted with a promotable crop, which should enjoy steadily increasing volume as the shipping season progresses.
118 / OCTOBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
Roger Christensen is co-owner of Maverick Potato Co., Center, CO.
through this single growing region can be another way to save on freight costs. “Colorado potatoes can be delivered to our customers in one or two days. Delivery can sometimes even be done overnight — to Dallas, for example,” emphasizes Jere Metz, salesman at Monte Vista, CO-based Farm Fresh Direct, which markets both conven- tional and organic potatoes year-round. “It makes them fresher and reduces shrink.”
ORGANICS INCREASE
Although organically grown potato acreage continues to comprise a growing percentage of the total, “the increase has leveled o a bit,” reports Ehrlich. Although CPAC does not have o cial data on organic acres, Ehrlich notes, “Colorado has an advan- tage because of reduced disease pressure and
Jim Ehrlich is executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee.
Harvest and shipping was hitting full- stride by early October from 2018-planted acreage estimated to be “essentially the same as last season,” at about 52,000 acres, according to Jim Ehrlich, executive director of the Monte Vista, CO-based Colorado Potato Administrative Committee (CPAC). About 95 percent of the crop is shipped to fresh markets locally, nationally and interna- tionally.
FREIGHT ADVANTAGE,
LOCAL BUYING TREND CONTINUES
Domestically, the San Luis Valley’s central location within the United States adds to the potatoes’ allure. It provides a natural freight advantage and becomes even more appealing with the continual popularity of locally grown.
One-stop potato shopping available