27 August 2020
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‘Bin buster’ saved by higher temperatures
Potato crop quality for Bushmans’ Inc in Wisconsin has astounded the company’s CEO who believed the crop was going to be “a bin buster”
Higher temperatures in early August have saved the day, says Michael Carter. In early August the temperatures in Wisconsin reached 86 deg F.
The COVID-19 crisis and its impact on restaurants and other food outlets has meant it’s been difficult to judge what the market will be for fresh market potatoes this season.
The retail business was up significantly for Bushmans’ before finishing the 2019 storage crop in the last week of July. Retail compensated for lost foodservice sales. Michael says a second wave of coronavirus would have a further impact on potato markets.
Bushmans’ has made minor operational adjustments for COVID-19 health precautions this year to date but said it hadn’t drastically affected production or sales.
Bushmans’ potato harvest was expected to be complete between October 7th and 10, when hard frosts usually set in.