Vine desiccation of potato in preparation for harvest is a common crop management technique.  Producers desiccate vines mechanically, chemically, or with a combination of both approximately 14 to 21 days before the anticipated harvest date.  Vine desiccation allows tubers to fully mature more quickly, accelerate skin set , and become less susceptible to bruising.  Removal of  the canopy also exposes the soil to direct sunlight and increased soil temperatures.  These increased soil temperatures can affect the pulp temperature, water content, and marketability of potato tubers at harvest.  We have begun to quantify changes that occur from the time of vine kill application to the time of harvest.  Four potato cultivars were evaluated for the influence of vine desiccation method, soil temperature, and variety on changes in dry matter content.  Additionally, total weight loss and dry matter content are currently being evaluated during long term storage of tubers from these plots.  A net decrease of dry matter content across potato varieties and vine desiccation treatments was observed prior to harvest.  We hypothesize that the potato tuber has the ability to continue taking up water after the foliar canopy is desiccated    Additional sampling took place during the long term storage season and total weight loss across all cultivars and vine-kill treatments ranged from 4.12% to 7.91% at the six month interval. Changes in dry matter content were evaluated and a maximum increase of 4.25% was observed after six months of storage.  By improved understanding of soil and tuber interactions, we hope to enable producers and researchers to make efficient  pre-harvest decisions of current and future crop potential.