Potato industry reports good harvest

Weather, soil play role in positive spud year

COLUMBIA BASIN - This has been a good year for potatoes, but not as good as you might have heard.

"We had a good year, yes," Dale Lathim, Potato Growers of Washington executive director said. "I wouldn't consider it a great year, but we had a good year."

Lathim thinks the United States Department of Agriculture overstated the crop size in reporting numbers, so it appears there are too many potatoes, when in reality the number is just right. Fresh potatoes may be a little short, he said, while the processing side of the industry is right where it should be.

Lathim attributed the high numbers to the fact the Columbia Basin has one of the highest yields in the world and the highest consistent quality, which he said comes back to soil types, weather conditions and technology.

Potato growers in other areas have to deal with weather swings and are unable to time their irrigation to a point where they have total control, he noted. Potatoes are sensitive to such changes and can grow to the wrong size and shape.

"We don't have that here," he said.

Washington State Potato Commission Director of Trade Matt Harris said the hundred-weight per acre increased over last year to the point where it matches a record high of 620 hundred-weight per acre, the equivalent of 62,000 pounds of potatoes per acre.

"Basically what that equates to is a 6.9 percent increase in yield per acre," Harris explained.

Last year, there were definite weather-related issues which were reflected in the yield per acre, he added. The hundred-weight per acre yield in 2005 was 620, 580 in 2006 and now back to 620 in 2007.

"I think a lot had to do with just the overall weather and growing conditions to cause that increase in yield per acre," Harris said.

During a good year, growers have more production per acre, which can translate into a better year when looking at input costs, Harris said. The Pacific Northwest region can offer consistency, quality and stability to foreign markets.

Lathim said everybody benefits from a positive year. Potato growers receive incentives for quality through their contracts and benefit when they have high yields, "and they really benefit if they can have both" high quality and high yields, he said, while processors produce more pounds of quality for each pound of potatoes they receive.

Consumption of frozen potato product overseas is more than $1.5 billion for 2006, with significant, corresponding volumes of potatoes, Harris said.

"We do look at markets in Asia specifically that consume U.S. product, and we know they consume Washington state product," he said. "It's kind of that saying we generated on a T-shirt, 'Washington potatoes feed the world.' And so we monitor not only trade flows, but we work

collectively with our potato industry, the other state potato commissions in the Northwest and Midwest and our national organizations to gain positive trade with other nations."

The industry looks to work on barriers of entry for processed and fresh potato products, Harris added.

If everything lines out, Harris said, with good weather and seed supply, the industry should be at its average, high-acre production.

Lathim also called for a good year for potatoes, noting many other crops have the potential to also have a successful year. It takes the pressure off of potato acreage, he said. A decrease in potatoes and an increase in demand would make for two or three more good years, Lathim said.