Recent extended warm weather and mostly good soil moisture aided Idaho potato planting, which nears its conclusion as mid-May approaches.

Some rain hit the state’s northeastern growing area recently, slowing planting a bit, said Travis Blacker, Idaho Potato Commission vice president of research and industry relations.

“But overall, planting conditions have been ideal” statewide, Blacker said. “The crop is going in on time.”

Potato planting starts in the southwest and generally progresses east and north as elevation increases.

“We’re done and it went well,” said Eric Jemmett, who farms near Parma in the southwest. The weather was good for planting, which wrapped up on the farm in late April.

Potato planting in the east region “probably will be done this week or next week,” Blacker said May 6. Completion of seed potato planting, at higher elevations, will follow.

In some potato planting seasons, “you get a lot of spring rains” that slow progress, he said. This year across the state, “the weather has cooperated.”

Growers have reported dry conditions recently, Blacker said.

Bryan Searle, based near Shelley in the east region, started planting April 15, five to 10 days earlier than usual.

“It’s hot and dry and dusty, so we’re putting them in the ground,” he said April 21, about three days before his targeted completion date. Soil moisture has been good — particularly where the seed piece is planted, around six inches below the surface.

“In most of our fields, the deep moisture was good,” said Kamren Koompin, who farms near American Falls in the east region and finished planting May 3, in line with his usual schedule. “When you’re planting, it may look dry. The seed piece is getting into moisture.”

But because of dry surface soils — due to a lack of rain since the beginning of April and fairly warm conditions — most growers will have to irrigate before they create water-holding dammer dykes through cultivation, he said. “If you do that when it’s too dry, the dykes don’t hold very well.”

Potato planting in the American Falls area was about 95% completed as of May 7, Koompin said. “Guys in general are a little ahead of schedule. We had cool, windy days and quite a few warm days.”

Unusually high temperatures were expected over the May 10-11 weekend around American Falls. “Where it’s happening with no potatoes out of the ground, it’s OK,” he said. “If it happens on June 10 or July 10, it can affect things.”

Idaho last year grew about 310,000 acres of potatoes. Acreage this year likely will be “a little less,” the commission’s Blacker said. “From what I’ve heard, process contracts are down.”

Jemmett, who grows potatoes for processing into fried products, said his acres are down by around 10% due to rotations and contracts. “A lot of processors are reducing volume.”

Koompin’s farm grows potatoes for processing and some for seed.

“We’re growing a few less potatoes in general,” he said, mostly for contract-related reasons and to some extent due to crop rotations.

Searle, who grows for the fresh-pack market, said his planted acres are down about 10%, reflecting rotations and the profitability outlook.

Contract prices are down for potatoes and various other crops, but input costs have not dropped overall, Jemmett said. On his farm, costs are down slightly for fertilizer, steady for chemicals and up for labor and equipment.