California sweet potato yields up 10-15 percent

The California sweet potato harvest got a late start to harvest this season.

Larelle Miller, Sales Manager at Quail H Farms:
 

"We were about two to three weeks late and it’s all weather-relate."

However, as harvest has gotten underway, yields are good and Miller says sizing is also in the ballpark of where Quail H Farms needs it to be

Larelle Miller:
 

"Our yields overall are up probably 10-15 percent over last year. So things look positive for the 2023 crop."

"Noting the sweet potato industry as a whole has largely cleaned up 2022’s crop and is now shipping fresh crop sweet potatoes."

Quail H Farms hopes to finish the harvest by the end of the month.

Earlier Thanksgiving

As for demand, it’s good too and in fact, it’s a bit stronger than demand last year at this time.
  Larelle Miller:
 

"Thanksgiving is earlier so I think we’re starting to see a little bit of that already. People getting ready for the holiday pull."

Pricing is also up over last year though Miller says it needs to be, given that sweet potato growers and shippers have absorbed increased growing costs over the last three to five years.

Looking ahead, she thinks pricing will generally stay strong.

Larelle Miller:
 

"The sweet potato industry often feels the need to lower their price point to generate sales. Everybody buys sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving anyways so I don’t think we need to do that."

"However you’ll see a small drop because that’s what people do and after that, I think it will strengthen up again. It won’t go to the levels where it was five years ago and I don’t even think it will go to levels where it was last year for Thanksgiving."