Black Gold Farms start harvest Red Potatoes in Red River Valley

Black Gold Farms will be kicking off harvest in the Red River Valley this week and the team is eagerly anticipating a great crop. Harvest will run for about four weeks with the majority of the harvest stored, packed and shipped out of the East Grand Forks, MN packing facility through April 2016.

Black Gold Farms pushed the limits of innovation again this year, using irrigation to enhance a sizable portion of their red potato crop in the Red River Valley. Black Gold Farms had experimented with irrigation on a limited scale during the prior season, and the promising results led to the decision to expand this effort significantly this season. Eric Halverson, Black Gold Farms CEO commented, "there really is not much irrigated red potato production done in the Red River Valley. Our decision really paid off, as it was a dry summer and the crop under the pivots will be the best potatoes we harvest."

Innovation was also evident in Black Gold Farms’ variety selection, as several traditionally grown varieties in the Red River Valley were supplemented with some promising newer material. "One of our new potatoes is called Sangres,” said Keith Groven, Fresh Sales Manager, “this is a variety that holds its quality and color through the winter months very well. This offers a great solution for long term storage, and ensures that we can supply our customers with Black Gold Farms-grown potatoes throughout the entire season.” Groven insisted that they hadn’t stopped there. “The other new variety that we made a major commitment to is the Dakota Ruby Red, developed right here at North Dakota State University and yielding a consistent round shape, vibrant red color and smooth skin. Our customers have a great opportunity to showcase Rubies as a premium red variety in their bulk displays, promoting them as a limited-time offering to create interest and drive incremental sales in both the retail and foodservice channels. You might say there’s a little Red River Valley beauty in each and every one.”

Black Gold Farms made major investments in their packing facility in East Grand Forks, MN during the off season as well, that will result in greater productivity, increased capacity and bolster potato quality throughout the storage season. "We've invested heavily in upgrades to our humidity and ventilation operations, and we've also made plans that will help increase our overall packing and storage capacity. In addition, our Odenberg optical sorter is a huge help to ensure consistent quality and increase our desired output all season,” stated Halverson.

"It’s my favorite time of the year,” continued Black Gold Farms’ CEO, “even though we harvest reds year-round in multiple locations, this is my backyard: It’s where my great grandpa started farming 87 years ago, and where we’ve grown to be the nation’s ‘Red Potato Expert’.