07/07/06 Sizing up the potato crop

Farm and Ranch July 7, 2006 Washington State Potato Commission Chairman Ellie Charvet thinks his potato yields in the south Columbia Basin are going to be down this year. Charvet: "We didn't get off to a good start. The spring was cold so the spuds didn't get off to a good start. On the spuds that I have the tonnage is going to be down from a year ago." Then we had that recent heat wave which didn't help. Charvet: "Right, they don't have a chance to size and do what they normally do." There is late blight in the south Basin too, something Potato Commissioner Paul Morris says they haven't seen in his area of the north Basin, where he's expecting just an average crop. Morris: "We started off with pretty good emergence. Little warm weather at emergence. The set appears to be normal. As far as maturity we are right where we need to be. The hot weather could cool off a bit and I would be a lot happier about that." Morris says if temperatures stay hot the quality of processing potatoes will be reduced. Dave Long, CEO of the Washington-Oregon United Fresh Potato Growers Cooperative, thinks while total potato acreage in the basin is up, fresh potato acreage this year is down two percent and they are happy about that. Long: "Which would be 12% down from 2004." USDA's Ag Statistics Service issues its first potato acreage estimate of the year next Wednesday. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.