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Potatoes are a commercial food crop grown for sale in raw or processed food products. Farmers can sell them directly or through a middleman, or produce them under contract. Potatoes are divided into starchy and waxy types. They can be sold raw or used for processing to produce products such as French fries, frozen potato products, and potato starch. The potato crop can be vulnerable to mold, microorganism infections, and rodent infestations. Natural pest control methods may include companion planting or encouraging birds of prey to feed on rodents.
A potato crop is a commercial food crop grown for sale in raw or processed food products. Farmers who grow potatoes can sell them directly or through a middleman, or they can produce them under contract for a food manufacturer or restaurant chain. Prices may vary from year to year, depending on availability, consumer demand and other market conditions. Other crops besides potatoes may be produced to diversify options, and some farms produce a range of potato varieties.
These tubers are native to South America where they have been cultivated for thousands of years and grown in different varieties. Broadly speaking, they are divided into starchy and waxy types, which can be useful for preparing different types of foods such as baked, fried, and mashed potatoes. In selecting a good variety for a potato crop, the farmer must think about demand, ease of growth, and past performance on the farm.
Raw potatoes can be sold in bulk for distribution to supermarkets, restaurants and other establishments that will process them. In other cases, the potato crop may be used for processing to produce products such as French fries, frozen potato products that can be fried or baked, potato starch and related processed food ingredients. Farmers grow their crop vegetatively, using seed potato startings that are known to perform well and produce crops of uniform size and quality.
Conditions on a potato farm include sandy to loamy soil and cool growing conditions. Farms with extreme heat or moist soil are not suitable for a potato crop. The tubers are typically planted after the last chance of frost has passed and allowed to grow into harvest season when mechanical harvesters can streamline the process of tilling the tubers and preparing them for sale. After harvesting, the field can be treated and fertilized to prepare it for the following year.
Like other commercial food crops, the potato crop can be vulnerable to mold and microorganism infections in addition to rodent infestations and other problems. These can wipe out all or part of a crop and lead to substantial losses, one reason why the farmer may choose to hold agricultural insurance. Natural pest control methods may include companion planting to control pests or encouraging birds of prey to feed on rodents. It is also possible to spray and treat crops to address these issues, in which case they will not qualify for organic certification, a concern for some farmers.
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