Idaho potatoes in a box

Idaho potato growers planted nearly 12% more acres this year, leaving state industry officials cautiously optimistic about meeting demand.

“We haven’t had enough potatoes the last couple of years to meet our customers’ needs,” said Jamey Higham, CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission.

This year’s plantings total 328,858 acres, according to annual field-survey results that United Potato Growers of Idaho presented to the commission board June 22. Last year’s total was just over 290,000.

Three parts to crop

“There are three parts to the equation — acres, yield and quality — and we only know one of them right now,” Higham said. “We still have quite a bit of time left to see how this crop turns out.”

“The last few years, a lot of processors have increased their production as well,” said Eric Jemmett, a commission board member who farms near Parma, in the state’s southwest. “So we think we will be able to satisfy the needs of the processors this year, which is a good thing.”

Statewide acreage over the past 20 years averaged around 320,000, he said.

Last year’s cold start and excessive heat late in the growing season contributed to “some of the lowest yields we’ve seen on our farm,” Jemmett said. Those conditions affected potato growers in the state’s south-central and southwest regions in particular.

This year, the farm in which he is a partner increased potato plantings slightly due to crop rotation needs, he said.

Near Declo, in the state’s south-central region, commission board member Mark Darrington’s farm did not increase its potato acreage. Seed supplies and land availability — the farm also grows silage corn for dairies, malt barley for brewers and wheat for millers — were factors.

Disease-limiting factors such as high elevation, cold winters and isolation characterize seed potato farms. Seed potatoes are grown in parts of eastern Idaho, northern Utah and parts of Montana. Some of the large potato producers in Idaho have their own seed farms.

“We felt like quality seed was an issue, and the seed market was very, very competitive prior to planting,” Darrington said, referring to his farm. The farm bought some seed potatoes from its traditional supplier and some from a grower in Montana.

About 90% of the farm’s potatoes are grown for fry processing or dehydration, he said. The rest are for the fresh market.

The statewide increase in potato plantings was higher than Darrington expected “given my perception of the scarcity of seed,” he said.

Nevertheless, “the beauty of it is that we have a tremendous amount of increased demand on the process side,” he said.

Idaho top producer

Idaho grows about one-third of U.S. potatoes and is the country’s top producer.

Survey-based estimates by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service pegged Idaho potato plantings at 290,000 acres as of June 30, 2022, down 8% from 2021.

Total potato production in the state was reduced by COVID-19 disruptions in 2020, early-season high heat in 2021, prolonged late-season high heat in 2022, and wildfire smoke to some extent in each of the past three years.