Florida: No potato shortage this season despite some frost damage in December

Florida potato growers didn’t escape damage from the surprise December freezes.

The freezes did set some growers of the nation’s first new potatoes back a little, but shippers say damage wasn’t as bad as last year’s freezes.Though damage wasn’t insignificant to individual growers, the freezing temperatures caused less than 15% in yield reduction and delayed production by a couple of weeks, said Ken Wiles, general manager of Mack Farms Inc.

That’s compared to last season when the January and February freezes knocked out close to a third of the state’s new potato production.

Mack Farms began running light volumes in early February and planned bigger volumes to start in early March.

“The younger crops look really nice,” Wiles said in late February. “It looks strong and healthy. We should have a typical year. Once we get started in good volume, there will be good quality and ample upplies. There won’t be any shortage.”