Potato Review

CONCERNS have been rising that the international shipping crisis will get worse for US agricultural exports, as shipping container costs continue to rise. Incentives to “dead-head” empty containers to Asia for quicker turnaround are at the root of these concerns. www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 41 INTERNATIONAL NEWS Heat takes its toll on crops andworkers RECORD heat across the Northwest US took its toll on crops and workers this summer. Potatoes, a valuable Northwest crop, were said to be growing in weird shapes, making them hard to cut into fries. In an OPB report, Anna King (Northwest News Network) spoke to growers who said the heat was causing some tubers to sprout knobs or grow into dumbbell shapes. Mike Pink farms near Pasco, Washington. He said some farmers might not even be able to keep their crops going if they were struggling at all before the heat wave. “This heat is going to take the life out of some of these potatoes that were a little more stressed,” he said. “Or maybe they’re not going to live as long. So their life cycle is going to end quicker, so they won’t produce the amount of potatoes at the end that they could produce.” The National Weather Service forecast the high temps above 100 to continue for large parts of the Inland Northwest. Wisconsinredpotato harvest begins THE Russet potato harvest began on August 16th with the early season Pacific Russet variety that will be the first of new crop Russets harvested o the field and washed, packed and delivered to retail grocers in the Midwest and beyond. New crop Wisconsin Fingerlings will also be ready for shipping on August 16th. In addition, new crop Wisconsin organic Russet, red and gold potatoes are set to be available for shipping. At that point, the Wisconsin red potato and gold potato harvests were well underway at Alsum Farms in Grand Marsh, WI. Photo: Brett Hondow from Pixabay US shipping container shortage worsens