Mississippi Market Bulletin
MISSISSIPPI MARKET BULLETIN Volume 99 Number 20 Lester Spell, Jr., D.V.M., Commissioner Jackson, Mississippi October 15, 2010 Early Sweet Potato Harvest In Mississippi Looks Good By Bonnie Coblentz ber of years.” resumed with the first cool night. MSU Ag Communications The state has 19,200 acres of “When you feel those first cool sweet potatoes this year, down nights, you know the sweet pota- 2010 is shaping up to be a sweet 500 acres from last year, and 90 toes are putting their food reserves year for Mississippi sweet potato percent of these acres are within into the roots,” Graves said. growers, a total change from the As of mid-September, rains were rains that destroyed 75 percent of 40 miles of Vardaman. A few fields holding off as the crop was being last year’s crop at harvest. are in Humphreys and Tate Coun- harvested. By September 17, about Benny Graves, sweet potato ties. Mississippi sweet potatoes are 50 percent of the crop was out of specialist with the Mississippi prized nationally for their sweet- the ground. Department of Agriculture and ness and color. “We started harvesting about Commerce’s Bureau of Plant Despite the hot, dry weather three weeks early, and we’re pro- Industry, summed the year up by across most of the state, weather gressing at a rapid pace under saying the Vardaman sweet pota- conditions have been excellent for toes are back. ideal conditions,” Graves said. sweet potatoes. Timely, localized “We have extremely high qual- “The season allowed us to plant rains provided all the moisture the ity potatoes coming out of the potatoes early, as we had warm ground.
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