Sweet potato harvest is wrapping up in the state of Louisiana. Despite the hot, dry conditions, farmers have gathered a good crop this year.
Last year, incessant rains ruined Louisiana’s sweet potato crop. This year, farmers have had to deal with stifling heat and drought conditions. But with the aid of irrigation, this year’s crop is in much better shape.
“We are seeing some strong yields this year, but those yields come at a price with a lot of the farmers having to spend quite a bit extra on the irrigation and labor costs associated with it,” explained LSU Ag Center Sweet Potato Specialist Cole Gregorie.
Louisiana producers are expected to harvest about 6,000 acres of potatoes this season, but that haul is far lower than 20 years ago when the potato growers harvested 30,000 acres across the state.
