EEUU: Potato crop is best it’s been in four years, according to local farmer

On Thursday, he had about 50 acres of potatoes left to harvest.

"Harvest has looked really good, we’ve had a couple of challenges from the weather but the crop looks excellent, I think it’s the best quality crop that Idaho’s had in three or four years," said Randy Hardy, owner and president of Hardy Farms INC.

Besides the two and a half inches of rain the Magic Valley got back in September, Hardy said that harvest conditions have been pretty good.

Hardy said that this year’s crop is better than last. He said that he hopes to get some of those national buyers back that he lost due to poor harvests in years past.

"There will be plenty of potatoes around and they’re good marketable crop. We’re had some issues in the past where some of our buyers across the nation have tended to turn away from Idaho because of storage issues, quality issues, and i think we’ll be able to get some of them back because of the quality of this crop," said Hardy.

Hardy is affiliated with Sun Valley Potatoes, which sends potatoes as far as New York and Florida. But these potatoes will stay right here in Idaho.

"These potatoes are all designated to go to fresh pack, so they’re what you’ll find in a grocery store and restaurant," said Hardy.

Once the potatoes are harvested, they’re taken to a storage unit, where they’re put onto machinery to filter them from the dirt.

Workers also pick out dirt and clay by hand. The potatoes are then stored throughout the winter.

"All the storage are filling,the yields are better than we thought they’d be or better than what we planned on," said Hardy.

He said that he harvests about 600 acres of potatoes, which translates to about 25 million pounds.