Country's Sweet Potato Supply; Not So Sweet
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Updated: 3:38 AM Nov 25, 2009
Country's Sweet Potato Supply; Not So Sweet
Savor that holiday sweet potato pie and those marshmallow yams while you can. Agricultural experts say North Carolina's sweet potato crops may have to stretch across the country.
Posted: 3:38 AM Nov 25, 2009
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Agricultural experts and industry officials expect enough sweet potatoes for the traditionally high-demand period of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But by Easter, they could be in limited supply in some parts of the country due to crop losses in the major growing states of Louisiana and Mississippi. Whether that leads to higher prices at the grocery store depends in part on demand and how far the North Carolina and California crops stretch.

North Carolina is the nation's leading producer and had what officials there consider a good, but not great, crop.

The full extent of losses due to heavy late-season rains in the Gulf South isn't yet known.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Latest Comments

Posted by: Scott Location: Mt. Olive on Nov 25, 2009 at 08:36 AM

I bet that 1/3 of the crop was left in the field after harvesting. Has anyone looked at a sweet potato field after harvesting? You could gather a 5 gallon bucket full in 2 or 3 minutes. That's how many are left in the field.
Posted by: Oh My ...... Location: Greenville on Nov 25, 2009 at 08:24 AM

Have you guys been fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to be behind the SLOW moving trucks carrying massive boxes of these sweet potatos on HWY 13? WOW they move so slow...Anyways, a lot of the sweet potatos get bounced off these trucks! I was playing "dodge the sweet pototo" the other day. You could see lots and lots of crushed ones laying all over the pavement from getting run over by vehicles.
Posted by: Mike Location: Edenton on Nov 25, 2009 at 06:34 AM

Bad news for consumers, good news for farmers, especially ones who can store their crop. Price is based on supply and demand. So why shouldn't the farmers benefit for once.
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