08/22/06 Organic potato research

Farm and Ranch August 22, 2006 Consumer interest in organic potatoes is driving an innovative 55-acre University of Idaho research trial that will examine a seven-year all-organic crop rotation near Blackfoot. Bryan Hopkins, U of I potato cropping specialist, feels that the pesticides being used today are pretty effective and pretty safe, but the market for organic potatoes is growing. Hopkins: "Some of the major retailers are approaching our industry and saying we need Idaho potatoes that are grown organically. Growers are hearing that and are interested. That's what I have been asked to provide, an example of this is how we grow organic potatoes responsibly." Hopkins says to break the pest cycle potatoes cannot be grown as frequently in the organic field as in the conventional field. He's planning three years of alfalfa, one year of spuds, one of barley or sweet corn, one year of beans or peas and one year of vegetables like broccoli, squash or cucumbers. HOPKINS "If we get any really nasty pests that would be a risk to neighboring farmers we are going to destroy the crop. That's a major issue for organic potato growers. There's a perceived that you are not taking care of the pests." In the Magic Valley, near Kimberly, the U of I is also readying an 11 acre field for organic trials that should begin next year. Also in Boise, a U of I Extension pesticide program coordinator is leading the USDA's first pest-management strategic plan for organic potato production, gathering data from producers throughout the region to help determine which pests problems should be given research priority. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.