Potato News from North Dakota

Red River Valley potato growers generally have avoided drought and deluge this growing season. That bodes well for the soon-to-begin 2017 harvest.

Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPPGA) has launched a new website, one entirely dedicated to promoting potatoes grown for the fresh market and branded as Red River Valley Potatoes. Fittingly, the new web address is RedRiverValleyPotatoes.com.

Just when some potato growers in the Red River Valley were beginning to make some progress with the harvest, Mother Nature stepped in and slammed the door.

Potato psyllids have been reported in specific fields in western and central North Dakota. At this point populations are not widespread.

The heart of "Potato Country" in northeast North Dakota was devastated by baseball size hail that lasted up to 35 minutes last Tuesday night.

J.R. Simplot is planning a High Bay Freezer for frozen potato products adjacent to its Grand Forks plant, according to a discussion in the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.

From February 17-24, Potato Industry Leadership Institute (PILI) participants traveled from potato growing regions across the United States to attend eight days of industry training and professional development.

In the United States, the fresh potato category finished 2015 with sales volume off -2.2% with the largest-selling type down -3.2%. But red potatoes, the second-largest seller, bucked the trend by finishing the year slightly ahead.

Black Gold Farms is going to help retailers encourage their potato shoppers to “spice up your spud life” this February!

The Plant Management Network provides information on how to improve efficacy of metam sodium application by shank injection in a new educational webcast developed by Neil C. Gudmestad

Today, Black Gold Farms has started the harvest of its red potatoes in the Red River Valley

Ideal weather conditions last Thursday helped draw one of the best crowds in recent years to the Field Day of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPPGA)

Potato farming brothers Aaron Johnson of Northwood and Derek Johnson of Vancouver, B.C., will spend time in federal prison in the Federal Prison Camp in Duluth, Minn., and are jointly responsible for restitution of nearly $1 million because of crop insurance fraud.

Eric Halverson is the new chief executive officer of potato grower-shipper Black Gold Farms.

Workers at the J.R. Simplot Co. potato processing plant in Grand Forks have reached a contract agreement with the company after being on strike for almost three weeks.

After a day-long union meeting, employees of J.R. Simplot went on strike, picketing outside the potato processing plant in Grand Forks at about 6 p.m. Monday.

Potato Processor Cavendish Farms of Jamestown, North Dakota, United States, has reduced its contracts with Manitoba growers (Canada) to 305,000 hundredweight for 2014

Rick Vivatson of Cavalier, North Dakota became the Northern Plains Potato Grower's Association's 65th Chairman.