VARDAMAN, MS – Excessive rain has forced Mississippi farmers to push back sweet potato planting.
Vardaman, the self-proclaimed sweet potato capital of the world, harvests millions of pounds of sweet potatoes each year, according to WTVA.
“The trend for sweet potatoes continue to grow,” said Mississippi Sweet Potato Council Executive Director Benny Graves. “The consumers and market tells us they want more sweet potatoes.”
With recent rain, it may be difficult to reach that demand. “We’ve had a little bit of excessive rain here the last couple of weeks,” Graves said. His estimate was about seven inches. “We’re in a little of a rain delay for about two weeks.”
Mississippi farmers hope to plant 20,000 acres of sweet potatoes this year. So far, they’ve only planted 40%, WTVA reportes.
“Odds are getting against us more and more,” Graves added. “We’d like to get our crop in by the end of June, so we hope the weather will let us do that.”
Weather.com forecasts a 20 to 40 percent chance of rain every day for the next 10 days in Vardaman.
What will this mean for Mississippi sweet potatoes? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more information as this story develops.
