EEUU: Black Gold Farms’ red potato harvest under way in the Red River Valley

Harvest will run for about four weeks with the majority of the harvest stored, packed and shipped out of Black Gold Farms’ expanded packing facility in East Grand Forks, MN.Reds LocalBeauty MsRedRvrValley FB-1200x1200

This year’s red potato growing season was not like last year’s in terms of both weather and expected yields. With multiple rain events, warm weather and even some hail, the potato crop around the valley has had its challenges.

“Mother Nature threw us a few curve balls this growing season, but as we get into some of our earlier fields, we are excited about what we’re seeing in terms of quality and yield,” Keith Groven, sales manager for Black Gold Farms, said in a press release. “We’ve definitely seen more rain this summer than we have in years. Thankfully, our fields are geographically dispersed around the Red River Valley, which has ensured that we will have plenty of quality red potatoes for our customers.”

Along with good news from the field, Black Gold Farms seen positive developments in its packing facility as well. “We’ve seen strong growth in demand for our Red River Valley red potatoes, so we needed to be sure we have the packing capabilities to keep up with our customers’ needs," Don Ladhoff, director of fresh sales and marketing for Black Gold Farms, said in the release. "We’ve invested substantially in additional equipment and technology which is really going to increase our throughput capacity.”

“Even though we harvest reds year-round in multiple locations, this is our backyard — it’s where my great grandpa started farming almost 90 years ago, and where we’ve grown to earn recognition as the nation’s ‘Red Potato Experts,’” Eric Halverson, Black Gold Farm’s chief executive officer, said in the release.