18 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2019
TOP 10
Packing &
Shipping
Best Practices
1. Monitor
temperature
in storage
A major issue growers, shippers and retailers face is
maintaining the high quality of potatoes from the time
they leave an on-farm storage until they reach their
final destination in the grocery store. The Idaho Potato
Commission has teamed up with University of Idaho
researchers to investigate this issue and determine what
can be done to ensure that potatoes maintain the high level
quality growers know they have when they leave the farm.
Below are 10 tips for maintaining your potatoes' innate
goodness. For more information contact Nora Olsen
(norao@uidaho.edu) or Mike Thornton (miket@uidaho.
edu) with University of Idaho Extension.
Monitor temperature at the storage,
and keep pulp temperatures above 45
degrees Fahrenheit during removal to
minimize bruising.
2. Storage
management
effects
Understand the relationship between
management decisions, weight loss
and disease incidence in storage.
3. Avoid large drops
Drops of more than
6 inches should be
avoided, especially
onto hard surfaces,
on all machinery.
