Sweetpotato councils and commissions across the country go all out to tout their favorite vegetable. Here's a look at what some of them are up to:
Moving plates in Mississippi
Fans of Mississippi sweetpotatoes will be able to promote the spuds literally everywhere they go thanks to the Vardaman-based Mississippi Sweetpotato Council and a little help from the Mississippi Department of Motor Vehicles.
Special vehicle license plates should be available by summer and will sport the Mississippi sweetpotato logo and show the council's website — MSSweetpotato.org — in addition to the vehicle license number, said Caleb Englert, council president and president of the U.S. Sweetpotato Council.
Englert expects the special plates to catch on among the driving public.
“Once people see them, they will be all for them,” he said. “It's definitely going to help support the industry.”
The council also was able to use funds from a USDA specialty crop marketing grant to sponsor Sweetpotato Day, complete with radio and TV support, at a Mississippi State University baseball game in Starkville.
The grant supported Mississippi sweetpotato billboards for four weeks in Atlanta, Houston and Chicago and a wrapped 18-wheeler used to haul sweetpotatoes as well.
The council also is finishing work on a documentary explaining how sweetpotatoes are grown. It will be shown on social media starting this summer.
Crawfish nosh in Louisiana
Spring is a big time for crawfish boils and seafood boils, and the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission continues to encourage consumers to add the vegetables to the ever-popular boils at this time every year, said Rene Simon, director.
White potatoes are the usual tuber of choice for the mealtime favorites, but Simon hopes that may be changing.
“It's taking a while to catch on, but we're seeing more people adding sweetpotatoes to their crawfish boils and their seafood boils,” he said.
Sweetpotato are a good fit for the boils, which are generally fairly spicy.
“The boils have salt, pepper and other flavoring that adds to the savoriness,” he said.
But sweetpotatoes add sweetness and a different flavor.
“They break the saltiness and the seasoning a little bit,” he said.
The Louisiana crawfish has been popular for generations, Simon said. And though the sweetpotato promotion started 10 years ago, it has really taken off over the past two or three years and continues to grow in popularity.
“It gives our farmers another way to market the smaller potatoes that might not be able to make the store shelves,” he said.
The commission supports Louisiana's 6,000 acres of sweetpotatoes with TV and online advertising, some of which specifically promotes the boils.
While spring is the most popular time of year for crawfish and seafood boils, crab and shrimp boils are just as good and flavorful during the summer, Simon said.
Influencers loose in North Carolina
“The North Carolina 2025 marketing program includes a mix of influencer marketing, social media, cooking classes, recipe development, media coverage, trade/consumer advertising, sponsorships, TV segments and more,” said Michelle Grainger, executive director of the Benson-based North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission.
The commission has partnered with five creators and four recipe developers who have attracted 2,574,330 followers, Grainger said.
“The goal is to cater towards certain demographics by having mothers, dietitians and nutritionists share their knowledge on the health benefits of North Carolina sweetpotatoes through recipe and educational content,” she said.
Cooking classes are held to help consumers to learn new recipes at home, and renowned nutrition experts have become partners in TV segments on KCTV, Al Borde Del Abismo and ABC, she said.
A farming influencer will visit North Carolina sweetpotato farms, packinghouses and the Horticultural Crops Research Station at Clinton this spring.
“Content will be created in the form of YouTube videos, Instagram and Facebook reels to be featured on NC Sweetpotato social media pages,” she said.
The commission also is working with Family Features mat syndicate to create a video/photo and an article featuring a sweetpotato beverage during the summer.
In addition, trade ads are planned in key publications and advertising is scheduled for subway ads in New York, a target market, in the spring and summer.
“It's a tactic to get people to learn more about where their food comes from,” Grainger said.
Cutting confusion in California
The Livingston-based California Sweetpotato Council is winding down its $242,000 block grant received from the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 2022 to dispel consumer confusion about yams versus sweetpotatoes, said Jill Damskey, the council's associate director.
The council has “done a ton of messaging,” working with several supermarket chains and independent stores and used social media to spread its message, she said.
One of the goals of the project was to tell consumers that all colors of sweetpotatoes — purple, orange, red and white — have the same nutritional benefits and can be used interchangeably in recipes, she said.
Some retailers used the council's own pictures showing the outside flesh and inside flesh of the various potatoes.
“We feel like it's been a good two years and a successful campaign,” Damskey said.
The promotional efforts final push of the campaign will run through April.