News and Stories

Idaho Burbank and Norkotah storage supplies are adequate. Prices are expected to remain relatively steady, with slight fluctuations, through the end of the 2015-2016 season (June-July). Norkotah stocks will start to diminish in late March and continue until volume is depleted in early May. At that stage, the Burbank variety will be shipped until new crop, field-run Norkotahs become available.  

Storage Crop Quality

• Idaho experienced record-high temperatures this past summer as well as sudden shifts to freezing weather; these factors could contribute to inconsistent yields and quality as the storage season progresses
• Pressure bruising (soft indentations) is a result of pressure at points of contact with adjacent potatoes or the floor while potatoes sit in storage sheds
• Hollow heart (small, irregularly shaped craters) develops during harvesting when potatoes grow faster than normal due to adverse weather; the defect is internal and can normally be detected at the production level by x-ray machines
• Markon will continue to gather weekly quality reports from suppliers and update members on a regular basis

2016 New Crop

• 2016 new crop potato planting will begin in Western Idaho in late March
• Growers in Eastern Idaho will start planting in mid-April
• New crop harvesting will get underway in early September and continue through October

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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