I have tried to stay out of the great potato debate, but I had to respond to Bill Duesing's latest commentary (September 13th). He commented that 4 pounds of fresh potatoes translate into one pound of potato chips meaning a 75% waste of the potato. According to Knott's Vegetable Handbook, a fresh potato is 79% water in composition. I don't know what the water content of potato chips is, but I'd bet it is pretty low. Could that possibly explain why it takes 4 pounds of potatoes (at 79% water) to make 1 pound of quite dry potato chips? I'm not saying we should abandon fresh potatoes for potato chips as a more concentrated source of nutrients, but a large part of the "waste" in processing that Mr. Duessing talks about could be from a reduction in water content.
How does one reconcile wanting fresh, wholesome, organic potatoes for $1.50 or more per pound to be available to poor city residents when they may only be able to afford the cheaper supermarket offering?
Too often farmers are caught in the modern agricultural production system. They have to produce for the market that exists in their area. They may be in a small rural area that cannot support a farmer's market. They may be geared up for large scale production of grains, soybeans, or cotton and have to meet certain market criteria and economy of scale criteria to stay in business. Most farmers that I know don't enjoy spraying a wide variety of chemicals. They use integrated pest management to treat only in response to a problem or anticipated problem. They use preventative, non-chemical methods when they can (crop rotation, resistant varieties, etc.). But, when a pest threatens to wipe out their crop (and their livelihood), they treat the crop to reduce the pest population below damaging levels. They have mortgage payments to make, families to feed and clothe, and children to send to college.
I am greatful for the cotton farmer who grows 100-500 acres and takes it to be ginned so it can be spun into yarn for cloth to make my shirt. That way, I don't have to grow a small patch of cotton in my yard, pick the seeds out by hand, spin, weave, and sew my own shirt. ( I also don't have the additional $ it costs for organically grown cotton apparel.) I don't have enough room in my garden to grow all that I need.
Some things may not be as simple as they seem. What works on a small
scale in a garden, sometimes may not be adaptable to a large scale situation.
Marjorie Rayburn
Note: These are my personal views and are not intended to reflect the perspective of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service or NC State University.
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Marjorie Rayburn (Ms. IPM)