VIDEO: Sweet Potato Harvest 2017

VARDAMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – Sweet potato farmers here in Vardaman say that the crop couldn’t be better, and they are reaping all of the benefits.

“It’s doing good so far, one of the better ones we’ve had. Little bit better as far as field pack average, number one coming out the crop is a good size, good spec, but overall there’s usually one thing every year that you kind of got to fight against, it’s overall an average year,” says Jonathan Denley with Edmondson Farms.

Things like dry or overly wet conditions.

Denley says their numbers in the field are doing well, despite the weather.

“We had a lot of rain up front, at first and that was a problem. Lower spots are going to have some water damage and that means its rotten in the field as it comes out,” says Denley.

Where as, overly dry conditions do a different type of damage.

“What it is the skin will start peeling off as they bring them out of the ground, the skin, so you need a little bit of moisture but we can deal with it the way things are,” says Denley.

Denley says despite the few problem areas, they will harvest plenty of potatoes.

“You’re probably looking at 4 to 5 thousand acres of sweet potatoes alone and then they have grain and other stuff to go with it and then the outside growers will be a small amount,” says Denley.

They just have to keep an eye on changing conditions.

“With everything coming out of the Gulf we don’t know, we just have to play it by ear and get it out as fast as we can,” says Denley.

Farmers say that they’re already preparing for the sweet potato festival, held this year on the first week of November.