Black Gold Farms Kicks Off Louisiana Sweet Potato Harvest

Black Gold Farms has kicked off its Louisiana sweet potato harvest. Harvest is about to get underway, and cured sweet potatoes will be ready to ship in October in plenty of time to meet the holiday demand, company officials say. 

“They say that the rich soils of the Macon Ridge, in northeast Louisiana produce the best-tasting sweet potatoes. The only way to know for sure? You got to try them,” says Eric Halverson, Black Gold Farms CEO.

With no major issues during the growing season, and demand above normal, the outlook is sweet. “Our first few acres look very promising. We did have some heavy rain events early on, but thankfully, that didn’t set us back” says Joe Millman, director of sweet potato operations.

This will be Black Gold Farms third production year growing fresh Legendary Sweet Potatoes in Louisiana. Black Gold Farms acquired Dawson Farms in 2014, and have made major investments to the facility in order to assure consistent quality and keep up with the growing demand for these quality products. “We know that this crop is special, so we’ve devoted some major resources in making sure we have the ability to sort, pack, and ship out whatever our customers need—efficiently and safely,” says Millman.

The demand for healthy sweet potatoes is constantly increasing, and shows no signs of slowing down: from 5.2 pounds per capita in 2009, to 7.6 pounds in 2014. In fact, the latest data from Nielsen Perishables Group shows that sweet potatoes account for 17.4 percent of total fresh potato dollar sales, and come in No. 3 just behind red potatoes’ share (Total U.S. sales, 52 weeks ending 7/2/16).  

“The sky’s the limit for this healthy, sweet and versatile potato," says Leah Brakke, director of new business development. "And, we’re digging deeper every day to responsibly deliver delicious sweets and to give you fresh and exciting ways to eat them—from our Steamin’ Sweets to three pound bags to cartons, we are able to accommodate whatever our customers need—and at this rate, our customers are needing more and more of these Legendary Louisiana Sweet Potatoes.”