Potato crops damaged by cold, wet weather could mean a shortage of french fries

LOS ANGELES - Cold and wet weather has damaged potato crops and the lack of good spuds could mean a shortage of french fries, Bloomberg reported Monday.

A cold snap hit many potato harvesters in the U.S. and Canada in October and farmers in Alberta and Idaho were only able to salvage some spuds hit hard by frost.

But crops in Manitoba, North Dakota and Minnesota were left damaged because of snow and rain, according to Bloomberg.

The severe weather conditions have also resulted in many short and stubby potatoes, which are not as desirable as longer spuds for french fry processors, Bloomberg reported.

While the weather is wreaking havoc on crops, the demand for fries in Canada has increased.

Potato prices may also climb in the U.S. as well as internationally since the harsh weather means minimal exports from North America.

On Nov. 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted that potato production will drop more than 6 percent this year.