Potatoes WA 2025 Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Potato growers in Washington state know the challenges that come with the job, especially in recent years with expenses soaring.
Matthew Blua, Director of Industry Outreach at the Washington State Potato Commission, says this past season wasn’t too bad …
BLUA … “I think we had a really good season. No specific pestilence to speak of that was particularly damning. Things seem to go very well. I know that some of our processors are having some issues, but I’m pretty sure we’ll recover from that.”
Fortunately, Blua says potatoes are one of the more stable crops grown in the Columbia Basin, but …
BLUA … “Right now, we’re having some concerns about the price of nitrogen. Fertilizer is a very expensive thing and certainly potatoes use a lot of nitrogen. That would be one of our challenges going forward.”
And losses like that, Blua says are always a concern …
BLUA … “We’re concerned about EPA’s response to the Endangered Species Act and how that’s going to impact us going forward. You realize that the way we read labels will change in the future and that is, you’ll have to go to a website to get all the information that you’re required to get to use a pesticide.”
But, Blua says overall, it’s not so bad …
BLUA … “Potatoes are one of the most stable things that we produce in the Columbia Basin so every year seems to be a pretty good year.”
Tune in tomorrow for more on the good and the bad Washington’s potato growers are facing.
