News and Stories

Large-size Idaho Burbank and Norkotah potatoes (40- through 70-count supplies) remain limited. While the market has stabilized for now, prices for large-size potatoes will rise during the last couple months of the storage crop season (June and July) as growers attempt to weaken demand. Markon strongly recommends members adjust their normal ordering patterns and place orders for large sizes further in advance.  

Small sizes (80- through 100-count potatoes) are ample. Prices should remain relatively steady, with slight fluctuations, for the rest of the season. Expect a wide price gap between large and small sizes.   

Sporadic Norkotah stocks will be available through the month of May. When Norkotah stocks are depleted, Burbanks will be used to fill all orders through the end of that season.   

Storage Crop Quality

• Cool temperatures and rain received last August hindered growth and prevented stocks from reaching full size potential and resulting in small potatoes (80- through 100-count supplies)
• No major quality issues or concerns have been reported, however as the year progresses and the potatoes continue to sit in storage sheds, some defects may become evident
• Pressure and/or shoulder bruising (soft, external indents) are the results of pressure at points of contact with adjacent potatoes or the floor, while potatoes sit in storage sheds
• Hollow heart (small, irregularly shaped internal craters) develop during harvesting when potatoes grow faster than normal due to adverse weather; this defect can be detected at the production level by x-ray scanners that determine which potatoes meet No. 1 grade specifications

2015 New Crop

• Potato planting for the 2015 storage crop season is essentially done in Western Idaho
• Eastern Idaho growers will begin planting over the next several weeks
• New crop harvesting of fresh-run potato shipments will begin in late July
• The storage crop harvest will start in early September and will continue through most of October; suppliers will begin to ship out of storage in early October

Please contact your Markon customer service representative for more information.

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