Potato acreage down; wheat yields up
Washington Ag Today July 12, 2010 Potato growers in Washington reduced their planted acres this year by seven percent from 2009. The Agricultural Statistics Service says the 135-thousand acres seeded to spuds is the smallest planted area since 1992. Idaho growers reduced their potato acreage by eight percent from last year. In Oregon plantings are down by five percent. Nationally fall potato acreage is down four percent from 2009. Oversupply and prices deterred producers from increasing plantings. Processing acreage has been negatively impacted by the tariffs imposed by Mexico on U.S. fries over a trucking program dispute that remains unresolved. Meanwhile on the Late Blight Hotline, Dennis Johnson of Washington State University says the potato disease has spread in the southern Columbia Basin. Johnson: “Late blight is present from southwest of the Tri-Cities and east of Burbank, north to at least Basin City and further northeast to Lind.” Despite hot weather in the forecast Johnson says cool nights and sprinkler irrigation will still provide favorable conditions for late blight infection. The recommendation is for seven day intervals of fungicide applications into August. Weather conducive to stripe rust in wheat also makes grain. Despite the disease problems this year the Ag Statistics Service raised its estimate of winter wheat yields in Washington three bushels an acre from a June forecast to 65 bushels. Spring wheat yields are pegged at 56 bushels an acre. Total wheat production in the state is estimated to increase 14 percent from 2009. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net. ? ? ? ?
