Q. I know Idaho grows a lot of russet potatoes, but I’ve seen the Grown in Idaho seal on reds, yellows, and even fingerling potatoes. Are these potatoes really from Idaho? How many yellow potatoes are grown annually in Idaho?
A. Yes! These potatoes really are from Idaho. We grow about 12 billion pounds of potatoes each year, and while most of them are Russet Norkotah or Burbank varieties, about 4-5% of our annual production is non-brown spuds. According to the USDA, Idaho shipped over 60 million pounds of yellow-type potatoes in 2012. That’s a whole lot of non-russets! Try out any of our delicious varieties the next time you go to the grocery store—and always look for the Grown in Idaho seal!
A. The Idaho Russet Burbank variety is typically harvested from mid-September to mid-October each year. It is a late maturing variety. Others such as the Russet Norkotah from Idaho grow to maturity earlier and are typically harvested in mid-August to mid-September. Idaho rules and regulations require that bagged or carton potatoes carry the variety designation right on the package or noted on a quick lock enclosure tag on bags sold in retail outlets such as grocery stores. Potatoes are harvested once a year, then stored for consumption throughout the year. So, in November you may see both varieties mentioned earlier being sold side by side. Our web site has a terrific educational piece, the Foodservice Toolkit, which can be viewed as a PDF by clicking on this link: 
