Michelle Obama is not the only fan of sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are a key ingredient in plenty of American dishes, especially during the fall. The starchy vegetable has also seen an increase in demand as new health trends show how nutritious they are. According to René Simon, director of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission, domestic demand for fresh sweet potatoes has been increasing 3% to 5% year after year, and exports too, with 14% to 15% of the crop exporting mostly to Canada and Europe

According to the “Vegetable and Pulses Outlook” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, in 2017 North Carolina produced about half the nation’s sweet potatoes, valued at more than $346 million, but that was expected to change somewhat. In September of 2018, Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina, stretching 450 miles wide while dropping a record-breaking rain, including seven inches in a day in one region.

The storms, plus heavy rains after a dry summer in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama, as well as North Carolina, created some harvest challenges. Wholesale prices of orange U.S. grade No. 1 sweet potatoes from North Carolina ranged from $14-16 at Hunts Point Produce Market in Bronx, N.Y., the week ending Nov. 25, 2017. That range jumped to $20-22 for the same week in 2018.

In 2019, North Carolina has shipped 1.3 million cartons of the 2018 season’s sweet potatoes, according to the Jan. 31 marketing service movement report, which is a dip from the same time last year, which showed shipments at 1.56 million cartons.

Weather was not the only challenge for the 2018 season. Labor shortages and costs have also been key factors that have affected the industry negatively. According to Kay Rentzel, executive director of U.S. Sweet Potato Council Inc, the labor pool is nearly non-existent in many areas, making agricultural reforms for guest workers a priority for the industry.

Louisiana has hardly any local farm workers and depends almost all on H-2A non-immigrant workers allowed to come to the U.S. for temporary or seasonal agricultural work. Other states have been dealing with his issue as well.

In conclusion, the sweet potatoes you’ll buy for this year’s casserole will be more expensive than last years. I’m sure this will not be a problem for Michelle.

https://www.thepacker.com/article/sweet-potato-supplies-weather-storms

https://www.thepacker.com/article/fresh-trends-data-shows-appeal-sweet-potatoes

https://www.wired.com/story/this-martini-wants-to-kill-climate-change-one-sip-at-a-time/

https://www.thepacker.com/article/sweet-potatoes-prices-fall-popularity-fuels-production