News and Stories

Supplies of Idaho Burbank and Norkotah storage potatoes are adequate. Prices are expected to remain relatively steady, with slight fluctuations, through the end of the 2015-2016 season (June-July). Remaining stocks are dominated by small potatoes (70- through 100- count sizes); large sizes (40- through 60-count potatoes) are not as plentiful. Norkotah volume will start to diminish over the next several weeks; expect the storage crop to be depleted by the first week of May. At that stage, the Burbank variety will be shipped until new crop, field-run Norkotahs become available in mid-September.  

Storage Crop Quality

• Idaho experienced record-high temperatures this past summer as well as sudden shifts to freezing weather; these factors will contribute to inconsistent size and sporadic quality issues 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 and update members on a regular basis

2016 New Crop

• 2016 new crop potato planting has begun in Western Idaho; weather has been ideal
• 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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