Local potato growers are trying to finish harvest, but Mother Nature is getting in the way again. The dry fall and cooler temperatures are challenging farmers like Kelly Grotte from Thompson, North Dakota. “It’s an unreal opposite of 2019. Last year, from September 11 to October 11, we had 10 inches of moisture and after that, we had another five inches. This year, we’ve had one-tenth of an inch the entire month. When the moisture shut off, soil lumps got hard and some people haven’t dug any potatoes yet.” Associated Potato Growers Incorporated CEO Mike Torgerson says potato harvest is about 70 percent complete for the cooperative. The remaining 30 percent is mostly in the Grand Forks area. “We’ll see how things play out. The lower, cool temperatures aren’t looking real promising.” Potato yields have been good, but yield doesn’t really matter if the potatoes get nicked or bruised in the process, because they won’t store well.
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