Seed Potatoes in Idaho

 Dan the Potato Man gives the weather assessment for this year’s seed potato crop in Idaho. Listen to the story on seed potatoes over in Montana according to the Missoulian newspaper. Record-low temperatures in southwestern Montana are threatening to destroy at least a portion of this season's crop of seed potatoes. Spuds still in the ground could be saved by a layer of snow; a dusting had fallen on Bozeman and the surrounding region by Sunday.  Nina Zydak, director of the Montana State University Potato Lab, said most area farmers have already started digging. But many farmers expect to lose some of their potatoes.

 Well Montana isn’t too far from us and I was worried so I called potato expert Dan Hargraves who started a potato brokerage business called Dan the Potato Man: “I think the part of the crop that’s still really at risk in Idaho would be the seed crop up in the upper Valley seed management areas, the Teton seed management area and over in Ashton. So far Idaho’s been real fortunate. I think we’re getting the crop put away in good shape.”

With 30,000 acres of seed potatoes out of a total of 305,000 acres of potatoes in Idaho, good weather news is just plain good news.