U.S. Sweet Potato Production

Based on the annual data published by USDA-Economic Research Service, total sweet potato production consistently increased from 13.7 million cwt in 2000 to 23.8 million cwt in 2010, as shown in the figure below. The top four producing states are North Carolina, California, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Mississippi’s sweet potato production averaged 2.5 million cwt since 2000, consisting of about 15 percent of total U.S. production.

Farms Growing Sweet Potatoes Which Are Registered In MarketMaker

There are 754 farms registered in the National Food MarketMaker program which indicated that they were growing sweet potatoes, as shown in the MarketMaker map below. When the search was narrowed to Mississippi, the number of farms growing sweet potatoes was 28.

Please encourage your local food growers to register at Mississippi MarketMaker to reach more buyers and more efficiently form profitable business alliances. The MarketMaker database show that sweet potato farmers sell their produce at farmers markets, fruit and vegetable markets, processors, and wholesalers.

MarketMaker Training Workshops for Farmers, Fishermen, Fishfarmers, Charter Boat Captains, Food Processors, Food Wholesalers, Food Retailers, Land and Sea Grant Extension Faculty and Staff, State Regulators and School Teachers and Youth

This training workshop is available upon request by a group of 6-12 producers, extension agents, state regulatory agencies staff, and school teachers. Each workshop will be tailored according to the needs of the participants. Please email Dr. Posadas at ben.posadas@msstate.edu if you are interested in setting up a training workshop in your business, office, agency, or organization.

Where can you find Mississippi MarketMaker?

MarketMaker can be viewed at http://ms.foodmarketmaker.com/. Ask Siri or Cortana to search for “Mississippi MarketMaker” on your smart phone.

Register your food business and school district and search for local foods at ms.foodmarketmaker.com.