Red River Valley Potatoes: A Story Worth Telling

From fertile soils to ideal weather, the region provides the perfect recipe for growing potatoes.

The Red River Valley is noted for more than the iconic 1925 cowboy love song that bears its name. The land straddling the border between Minnesota and North Dakota is blessed with a combination of geologic and climate advantages that make it particularly suitable for growing flavorful and nutrient-dense potatoes.

“The Red River Valley has a combination of soil, climate, and generations of growing experience that is difficult to replicate,” says Carissa Olsen, president of NoKota Packers, Buxton, ND. “Our rich, black soil is some of the most fertile farmland in the world, and it produces potatoes with the color, texture and flavor the region has become known for.”

NoKota Packers is a third-generation packer-shipper of potatoes grown by Red River Valley farmers. The company is part of the Fresh Solutions Network and, in addition to retail shipments, fills small orders for walk-up customers.

UNIQUE CLIMATE

The Red River Valley is one of the few areas of the country where potatoes are grown with rainfall and no irrigation.

“We grow our red potatoes on dry land — it gives the potato good flavor,” says Gary Shields, executive director of Northern Plains Potato Growers, Grand Forks, MN. “Our processed potatoes are grown on irrigated land, while the fresh are grown on dry land.”

The Northern Plains Potato Growers represents 200 family farmers on both sides of the Red River.

In addition to the soil and climate, Red River Valley potatoes benefit from growers who have worked the land for generations.

“The people are just as important as the land,” says Olsen. “We work with experienced growers who understand this crop and this region extremely well. Many of the relationships between growers, packers and customers have been built over decades. That combination of great growing conditions, experience and long-standing relationships gives the Red River Valley a unique identity in the potato industry.”

“The combination of great growing conditions, experience and long-standing relationships gives the Red River Valley a unique identity in the potato industry.”

— Carissa Olsen, NoKota Packers, Buxton, ND

Nature gives the Red River Valley rich glacial soils and enough rainfall to support a potato crop. But what nature gives, nature can take away, as there are no guarantees the rain will fall at the right time to produce a good harvest.

“Weather will always be one of our biggest variables,” says Olsen. “The Red River Valley has experienced everything from drought conditions to excessive moisture over the last several growing seasons. Because much of our crop is grown without irrigation, Mother Nature plays a significant role in both yield and quality.”

At different times during the 2026 season, growers experienced both too much and too little rain.

“This year’s crop is a mixed bag,” says Shields. “We’ve had some challenges with lack of rain in some areas, and it has impacted yields.”

In some areas, there was too much rain early in the season.

“We had some challenging early season rain and lost acreage, and we haven’t had enough rain late,” says Dave Moquist, owner of O.C. Schulz & Sons, Crystal, ND. “Our potatoes are naturally irrigated, and we grow on glacial bed soils, so they are more nutrient-dense. Our volume is trending down from last year, but it’s about average. The volume has been trending up because new varieties and better management practices have given us better yields.”

O.C. Schulz & Sons is a family-owned company that grows potatoes, sugar beets, wheat and soybeans in the Red River Valley.

CONSUMER PREFERENCES

While red potatoes are the region’s flagship crop, many growers have diversified in recent years to offer more yellow potatoes.

“Yellow potatoes continue to be the biggest growth story for us,” says Olsen. “Historically, NoKota was almost exclusively a red potato operation. We introduced yellows several years ago and have continued increasing that portion of our business based on customer demand. Reds remain our foundation and still make up the majority of what we grow, pack and ship, but yellows have become an important part of our mix.”

Other growers have also increased their production of yellow potatoes.

“The majority of the fresh market potatoes are red or yellow. The yellows are now around 30%,” says Moquist.

Shields believes this versatility is a sign of the region’s strength. “Just like with any commodity, trends come in,” he says. “Yellow potatoes have also trended upward over the last few years. We are so blessed with the soils and climate that we can give the consumers a choice between red and yellow potatoes.”

“We are so blessed with the soils and climate that we can give the consumers a choice between red and yellow potatoes.”

— Gary Shields, Northern Plains Potato Growers, Grand Forks, MN

Olsen has noticed other changes in consumer product mix preferences, including interest in smaller potatoes and smaller package sizes. “Consumers like convenience and flexibility, so products that fit different household sizes and different ways of preparing potatoes continue to create opportunities.”

Red River Valley potatoes are harvested in late summer, but improved storage facilities let some packers ship nearly year-round.

“Our potatoes get shipped all over the country,” says Shields. “We harvest in September, and because storage has improved over the years, some packers can ship through July.”

SMALL, BUT MIGHTY

Flavor and nutrient density have earned the region’s red potatoes a solid reputation, says Olsen. “The Red River Valley name certainly has its strongest recognition throughout the Midwest and central part of the country, where customers have been buying Red River Valley potatoes for generations. But the reputation extends well beyond our immediate region.”

Promotion of Red River Valley potatoes is limited because the area is a secondary producer, compared to Idaho and Eastern Washington.

“We are a fairly small area, so we don’t have the promotion budget of Idaho, but we have been known since the 1950s,” says Moquist.

Minnesota and North Dakota combined harvest a little more than 4 billion pounds of potatoes a year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, while Idaho harvests nearly 14 billion pounds a year.

While many people in the produce business are aware of the quality of Red River Valley potatoes, there may be opportunities for retailers to tell this story to consumers.

“We continue to find that customers who know the Red River Valley associate it with high-quality red potatoes in particular,” says Olsen. “‘Red River Valley’ means something within the produce industry, but there is still room to build that recognition with the end consumer. Consumers increasingly care about where and how their food is grown, and we have a great story to tell.”