There’s A Potato Shortage In Idaho…EVERYBODY PANIC!

Potatoes are the lifeblood of Idaho. Well sell them, we love them, we even drop a giant one every year on New Year's Eve. So how is it possible that the state famous for potatoes is suddenly running short on them?

How does this even happen? We feel violated, and we demand answers. Luckily, we have been provided some.

Idaho's current potato shortage (we're still struggling to believe we're typing that) has been caused by the same source causing issues all over the globe recently: weather. Jamey Higham, president and CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission, has the details:

I'm not sure if you remember last June, but we had some just unbelievably hot temperatures here in Idaho. It did a number on our potato crop, and so, our yields were significantly down last year.

So we're short on potatoes from 2021's crop, but what does that mean for us if we're trying to buy some? If you bet on higher prices, you win higher prices! Higham continues:

As we get down to the end, there are very strong prices out there right now and potatoes are still supply-and-demand. And when the supply is lower, the prices go up and it will probably stay that way. I don't anticipate these prices staying high long term. And once harvest gets under way, it'll get back down into a better spot. But I do expect prices to be strong all year this year.

Luckily, it looks like this year's crop will be closer to normal, and this shortage shouldn't last too long.