Top with nuts or marshmallows and they make a great casserole. Add butter and a flaky crust and you have a delectable pie. They’re the perfect side when mashed, baked, glazed or roasted.

The wonderful sweet potato is a staple of the Thanksgiving table. That is especially the case right here in North Carolina, where we lead the nation in sweet potato production.

For the last 50 years North Carolina has led the nation in sweet potato production. Even during a challenging year for vegetables with increased storms, hurricanes and excessive rain in the state, North Carolina’s sweet potatoes still showed their resilience.

According to a recent report from Carolina Demography, the Old North State has led the country in sweet potato production since 1971. The rich, fertile soils of the state are ideal for cultivating sweet potatoes, averaging at roughly 60 percent of the U.S. supply, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

In 2020, four counties in the state each produced more than 100 million pounds of the vegetable, with Sampson County growing more than 250 million pounds.

Staying atop the charts this year wasn’t easy. With historic wildfires over the west coast, the August storms in the Midwest and Hurricane Laura’s effect on southeastern agriculture, many regions were affected. Sweet potatoes were also adversely impacted by these weather events.

Despite the harsh conditions, the starchy root vegetable generated $375 million in revenue last year, the third most lucrative crop for North Carolina behind soybeans and corn.

All told, North Carolina produced 1.7 billion pounds of spud-tacular sweet potatoes in 2020. That’s enough for 850 million casseroles, provided you have 557 million pounds of marshmallows to go with it.

 

Featured photo via North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension

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