Some potato farmers sell their potatoes soon after they are harvested but many place their crop in storage. These potato storages are large barns with insulated walls. It is important that the harvested potatoes neither get too hot nor too cold. The best temperature range to store potatoes depends on the variety of potato and their final use. When this happens, the chips will be dark in color after frying.
Farmers choose to store their potatoes because there is usually a price increase during the winter.
They may get more for their product later in the year if they have a price contract. Also, sometimes potatoes will not store well because of poor weather conditions or problems within the pile of potatoes. We have all heard of the one bad apple destroying the basket. The same is true for potatoes only this time the basket is much larger. Potatoes will also loose water, called shrink, during the winter storage period.