b'2021-22 Shipping Season Filled With Anomalies by Ted Kreis, NPPGA Communications recoveringfrom thepandemic slumpbrought with it rapid infla-tion,laborshort-agesandhigh shipping costs; all threeofwhich affected Red River Valley potato ship-persimmensely. Hiringworkers costmore,butNPPGA file photoonlyifyoucould find them, and trucks seemed to beLooking at the rest of the shipping available, but for absorbent rates. season,therearemoreuncertain- ties.Reports vary on the size of the I have often said that no two ship- Fourth - We possibly saw the biggestFlorida red crop which ships in the ping seasons are the same in the Redmid-seasonrallyeverwhenredlate winter and spring.Information RiverValley,butthe2021-2022pricesjumped$5.00perhundred- hastraditionallybeenhardtoget shippingseasonhashadmorea- weightinathree-weekperiodinfromFlorida,butbestinformation nomalies that most.January. One long-time Valley ship- atthistimebelievestherewillbe persaidhedoesntrecallthisdra- some gaps as the shipping seasonas First - We started the shipping sea- matic of an increase happening inshipping moves from south to north sonwithoneofthesmallestredmid season ever before.Early andwithin the state. crops in recent memory brought onlateseasonralliesaremuchmore byreducedplantingandbelowcommon.WhatledtotherallyisPrinceEdwardIslandisanother trendline yields caused by the sum- hardtopinpointbutlikelyhap- unknown.Currently there is a ban mer drought.pened for a combination of factorson exports to the U.S. brought on by mentionedinthepreviouspara- Potato Wart finds on P.E.I. If the Second-Despitethesummergraph.currentbanislifted,supplieswill drought,weproducedthelargest becomemoreabundant,especially yellowpotatocropeverfortheFifth-Wewilllikelyseeanearlyon the East Coast.Valley.Nearly400,000hundred- end to the Red River Valley shippingweight more than the previous yearseason,uptosixweeksearlyforWhat happens in Florida and P.E.I. and a half-million bags more thansome shippers.The early end willwillnothaveabigimpactinthe the 5-year average. Amazingly, yel- bebroughtaboutbyasmallredRed River Valley who is in the home lows made up 37% of the 2021 freshcropandunprecedenteddemandstretch, but could affect prices going crop.foryellowpotatoes.Forseveralinto spring and early summer. weeks in a row in January-February, Third - The pandemic and the econ- theValleywasthelargestyellow omy.Afast-growingeconomyshipper in the nation! 4 POTATO GROWER MARCH 2022'