MONTE VISTA — The final day of the Southern Rocky Mountain Ag Conference brought a focus on the potato.

John Lundeen, Research Director for Potatoes USA, provided insight into just how large the market of the popular vegetable is.

He began by noting that the potato is rated as America’s number one vegetable.

Also, the nation’s most popular side dish is the French Fry, and the potato ranks highest in retail sales for produce in the U.S., with 86% of retail products going to the frozen section in supermarkets.

The potato has seven out of 10 shortfall nutrients that Americans commonly lack.

Lundeen observed that this is good news for Valley growers. When it comes to the export of potatoes, the three leading destinations are Japan, Canada, and Mexico.

Lundeen was also quick to point out that the demand for U.S. potatoes is only growing.

Also, frozen products have the highest volume of consumption, followed by fresh products. He also emphasized that the domestic market is changing due to increased discourse about foods and nutrition and new tools to order meals online, such as GrubHub.

Furthermore, perceptions about the potato’s nutritional value for athletics and performance are trending in a positive direction.

Recently, the potato was named the official vegetable of the Rock and Roll Marathon Series. Overall, 99% of conversations about potatoes were estimated to be positive.

Lundeen concluded that while the market is healthy, some of the ways to ensure the future of the industry are to fight misconceptions and continue to strengthen demand.