Potato Country 2020

PotatoCountry.com • January 2020 Western focus. National impact.

Freezing Temps,

Hot Markets

Small Potatoes

For the Advertiser Index click here

Irrigation Essentials Western Seed Reports Looking Ahead to the 2020 Crop

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MADE IN THE USA

w w w . Po t a t o Co u n t r y . c o m

Vol. 36 No. 1

PO Box 333 Roberts, Idaho 83444 Phone: (208) 520-6461

Country Western focus. National impact.

Table of Contents

Contacts Dave Alexander ...........................dave@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com Publisher, Advertising

Denise Keller ..............................editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com Editor

Andy Jensen.......................................... www.nwpotatoresearch.com

January 2020

Insect Identification

Jeff Miller .....................................................jeff@millerresearch.com Disease Identification

Bruce Huffaker ................................................. napmn@napmn.com Market Report

6 Freezing Temps, Hot Markets

Dale Lathim ............................................................... dale@pgw.net

Potato Growers of Washington

2019 Big Idaho Potato Harvest Meeting

Brian Feist ...................................brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com Operations Manager, Advertising

12 Western Seed Reports

EDITORIAL INFORMATION Potato Country is interested in newsworthy material related to potato production and marketing.

Contributions from all segments of the industry are welcome. Submit news releases, new product submissions, stories and photos via email to: editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com.

20 Irrigation Essentials Buyers' Guide

23 Study Tracks Path to Purchase for Fresh Potatoes Potatoes USA

28 Small Potatoes

Montana Seed Potato Seminar

ADVERTISING For information about advertising rates, mechanics, deadlines, copy submission, mailing, contract conditions and other information, call Dave Alexander at (208) 520-6461 or email dave@PotatoCountry.com.

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION U.S. $24 per year / Canada $40 per year / Foreign $80 per year Subscriptions can be entered online at www.potatocountry.com or call (503) 724-3581.

Email address changes/corrections to brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com or send to Potato Country, PO Box 333, Roberts, ID 83444.

Potato Country magazine (ISSN 0886-4780), is published eight times per year and mailed under a standard rate mailing permit at Idaho Falls, Idaho and at additional mailing offices.

36 Looking Ahead to the 2020 Crop

It is produced by Columbia Media Group, PO Box 333, Roberts, ID 83444 Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of Columbia Media Group. For information on reprints call (208) 520-6461.

Market Report

Editorial Board Grower returns for russet table potatoes are running between 23 percent and 109 percent above yearearlier levels. How will this affect the 2020 crop?

Bruce Huffaker gives his insight on page 36.

Gary Roth

Chris Voigt

Executive Director

Executive Director

Washington State Potato Commission

Oregon Potato Commission

(509) 765-8845

On The Cover Crews harvest spuds in New Plymouth, Idaho, in Sept. 2019.

Last fall’s harvest conditions and current market conditions were topics of discussion at the recent Big Idaho Potato Harvest Meeting.

See the story on page 6.

Photo courtesy Angie Rader

4

Potato Country

January 2020

(503) 239-4763

Departments 24 26 32 35 38

Insect Quiz In the News Disease Quiz Calendar PGW Column

Nina Zidack

Frank Muir

Jim Ehrlich

Montana Seed Potato Certification

Idaho Potato Commission

Colorado Potato Administrative Committee

Director

(406) 994-3150

President/CEO

(208) 334-2350

President/CEO

(719) 852-3322

“Follow that Potato!”

Our popular Idaho® Potato farmer is back on TV hunting for his Big Idaho® Potato Truck, and wait ’til you see what he’s up to this time! National media for the new spot includes high-profile channels like CNN, Fox News, The Food Network, ESPN, Headline News, Hallmark and more.

So strap yourself in and get ready for more high-speed hijinks and powerful potato marketing from your biggest supporters at the Idaho Potato Commission.

IDAHOPOTATO.COM

Big Idaho Potato Harvest Meeting

Freezing Temps, Hot Markets Story by Bill Schaefer and Dave Alexander

T

he blast of arctic air that resulted in three nights of a hard freeze beginning on Oct. 9 was the proverbial icing on the cake for Idaho’s potato growers last year.

Travis Blacker, Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) industry relations director, described the 2019 growing season as one filled with contrary weather from planting to harvest at the IPC’s Big Idaho Potato Harvest Meeting in Fort Hall, Idaho, on Nov. 13.

“We had a lot of rain in the spring when we were planting, and pretty much from Magic Valley east, we had two different frost episodes,” Blacker said.

“We were already thinking that yields would be affected by that, and then this frost hit on Oct. 9. But the good news is that when the frost hit, we think there was 85 percent of the crop in. That’s a lot of potatoes – good, quality potatoes.”

Blacker said that he had heard from some growers that last year’s crop, despite the delay in planting and the multiple frosts during harvest, is the best

they’ve seen in at least 20 years and that the Russet Burbank crop was exceptional.

According to a recent crop production report released by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Idaho’s yield is 435 hundredweight per acre (cwt), down 15 cwt from 2018. In the same report, NASS estimated that total production for 2019 would be 13.4 billion cwt, down about 5.5 percent from the 2018 production total of 14.1 billion cwt.

You’ve Got to Market It

“This is a crop that will sell itself.”

It’s a refrain Frank Muir has heard more than once since he became president and CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission in 2003. But Muir had a message for potato growers and shippers.

“Thirteen billion pounds of potatoes does not sell itself. You’ve got to market it,” Muir told the audience. “You have the perfect opportunity to keep the demand going and keep prices strong. This product doesn’t just magically sell itself.”

Frank Muir, Idaho Potato Commission president and CEO, speaks to roughly 225 attendees at the Big Idaho Potato Harvest Meeting in November.

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Potato Country

January 2020

One of the messages to come out of the harvest meeting was that while Idaho’s total production and yield is down for 2019, the crop is a good one and Idaho has enough potatoes to meet demand.

“The last message we want to send is that Idaho doesn’t have any potatoes to provide all of your retail needs,” Muir said. “We will have sufficient potatoes to meet their needs.”

“I think all we’ve done with this freeze is take off the top of what could be a normal yield year,” Muir said. “What that does is that there’s no panic that we have a lot of potatoes to get rid of. The price has gone up. There’s been very strong, great returns for growers.”

Muir said the price for fresh market potatoes is positioned where he likes to see it coming into the current retail season and there’s no reason for prices to retreat.

Randy Hardy, a fresh potato grower in Oakley, Idaho, said his crop was looking really good prior to the cold spell and his Russet Burbanks were good quality and good size.

“We had a really good crop coming in my area, but we didn’t get some of the weather factors last spring that eastern Idaho did. But back here, we had a pretty good growing year,” Hardy said.

Hardy said the pulp temperature of potatoes was between 55 degrees Fahrenheit and 56 degrees two days prior to the freeze. Two days later, pulp had dropped to 37 degrees, he said.

“Those potatoes actually dropped 20 degrees in two days, and I don’t know that that has actually happened before to that extreme,” Hardy said. “What did it do physiologically inside to the potato, I don’t know. But we saw it warm back up to 50 degrees, 51 degrees. Then the next cold spell that came along, they dropped back down to around 40 degrees, 41 degrees, 42 degrees. That’s where we finished up. So I don’t know what’s going to happen to those. We’re watching them, and we’ll probably move them sooner than we anticipated.”

Potatoes USA CEO Blair Richardson mentions that processors can’t keep up with demand despite cutting back on employees’ holidays and vacations.

Hardy said he refers to a frost like this one as the gift that keeps on giving.

“You put them away in storage, you think you can dry them out, you think you can store them,” he said of the current situation. “You think you can sort them all out, and it just never is a very good situation. The frost, because it’s so much different than a bacterial rot, it’s going to be a real challenge for fresh guys as well as process guys.”

Hardy said he has heard that processors are looking for more potatoes in the fresh market to meet potential shortages during the coming year.

Processors Cannot Keep Pace With Demand

Blair Richardson, CEO of Potatoes USA, echoed what Hardy said: processors are having a hard time keeping up.

Traveling from Denver to speak to about

225 attendees at the harvest meeting, Richardson said that because potatoes are the most popular vegetable in the United States, demand is currently greater than supply. Broccoli was the top choice for consumers five years ago, but potatoes have become increasingly popular with U.S. consumers.

This surge has not only created a supply deficit, but processors are running full-bore to process the potatoes they have. Richardson described what he calls the “Minnesota Deer Season Indicator.”

For the last 30 years, the Simplot processing facility in Minnesota has shut down two weeks of every year: Christmas and the opening of deer hunting season.

This year, the plant remained open through deer season because it cannot keep up with the demand for frozen potato products.

Many of those frozen potatoes are French fries, now the number one side

dish in American foodservice, according to a Potatoes USA study. Side salads were number two in the study, but number three is potatoes in any form. Richardson said the potato industry is winning at the consumer level, the foodservice level, in multiple categories and that “people do love potatoes.”

International demand is growing, as well. About 25 percent of the U.S. potato crop is exported, making the export market extremely important to growers.

Of the exported spuds, 40 percent are fries.

The growth in frozen products and, therefore, the supply pressure on processors is directly tied to the growth in foodservice. Fewer people are eating at home and the majority of food dollars are spent in foodservice.

“People do not want to worry about cooking something at home. They want to go a restaurant, have it cooked for them, have it served to them and then go home and do whatever they are going to do afterward,” Richardson said, noting that 86 percent of frozen sales go to foodservice channels.

“This is an exciting time to be in this industry,” he said.

Legislative Update

Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council (NPC), brought news and updates from Washington D.C. to the Idaho meeting.

“Our job is to bend federal and international policy to your benefit,” Quarles told the audience in describing NPC’s mission in his introduction.

Quarles touched on a number of legislative and regulatory issues currently being debated in Washington D.C. impacting the nation’s potato industry. He addressed the potential ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), designed to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

“USMCA needs a House vote. We think the votes are there,” Quarles said.

“Speaker Pelosi has to put it on the floor, and then the Senate should approve it fairly quickly. We just don’t want to let it linger into the election.”

PotatoCountry.com

7

Big Idaho Potato Harvest Meeting Quarles then discussed the ongoing litigation to allow importation of U.S. potatoes throughout Mexico. Currently, U.S. potatoes are restricted to a 26-kilometer import zone at the U.S. border.

“Right now, we have several cases sitting before the Mexican Supreme Court,” Quarles said. “If there is a positive rule, it will empower the Mexican government to publish the necessary technical documents to allow fresh potatoes to be imported to the country.”

While waiting for Mexico’s Supreme Court to issue a ruling, Quarles said that Mexico’s avocado industry had recently petitioned the U.S. to allow more Mexican avocadoes into the U.S. Quarles said that Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s response to Mexico’s request was “no, I want to use this as a leverage to get American potatoes into Mexico.”

“It’s very simple,” Quarles said. “This provides the leverage to get this issue

Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, tells attendees at the Big Idaho Potato Harvest Meeting that “half of Big Potato is here,” referring to himself and Mike Wenkel, 50 percent of a staff of four.

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Potato Country

January 2020

Big Idaho Potato Harvest Meeting

Mike Thornton with the University of Idaho explains that black spot and pressure bruise are the biggest quality issues.

resolved once and for all, but we can’t lose that leverage and it needs to be used effectively.”

He said that once Mexico’s avocado industry realized that its petition for increased market access was being linked to the U.S. potato industry’s court case, the avocado industry became more of an ally for U.S. potatoes.

“And so an immediate reaction happened and they got more activated,” Quarles said. “They started talking to their government. Cables started flying back and forth. Meetings started happening. We need to continue to use that leverage. We cannot lose it. The administration is in the exact right place on this, and we need to see this all the way to the finish line.”

Quarles lauded past success in getting potatoes back into the school breakfast and lunch programs and cited Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson for his role in securing access for potatoes in the programs.

However, the program requires annual approval in the form of a public policy rider, and the NPC and a bipartisan group of legislators are pushing the rider forward, he said.

Once again, Quarles complimented Simpson and his congressional staff for their work in trying to move forward new and improved H-2A temporary agricultural worker legislation.

10

Potato Country

January 2020

Nora Olsen with the University of Idaho cautions growers to closely monitor potatoes that were frozen and put into storage.

“Mr. Simpson has just done a tremendous amount of work, and his staff, in producing a very serious, bipartisan ag labor reform bill. It’s not a perfect bill.

It’s a negotiated settlement,” Quarles said.

He said the legislation, formally called the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, has a number of detractors and nonsupporters, and passage through House, Senate and conference committee is going to be difficult.

Despite this, the first hurdle was cleared on Dec. 11, when the bill was passed by the House and moved to the Senate.

Bruised and Frozen

University of Idaho potato scientists Nora Olsen and Mike Thornton updated the audience on their IPC-funded quality management studies on bruise reduction during harvest and storage.

Thornton said they’ve been monitoring quality notices that come from Walmart distribution centers across the country, and the majority of quality notices have come from seven distribution centers in the southeast corridor of the U.S. for the 2017 and 2018 crops.

“It points to the difficulty of shipping into areas with high temperatures and high humidity,” Thornton said.

He said black spot and pressure bruise seem to be the biggest quality issues annually.

Olsen also addressed storage issues for potatoes harvested following the October freeze.

“We can talk about the three days of frost, but we also had a lot of colder temperatures leading up to that and a lot of potatoes harvested outside of our traditional or recommended temperature ranges,” Olsen said. “So be aware that the quality all around this whole time may be impacted.”

Olsen advised growers to closely monitor those potatoes harvested and put in storage following the freeze.

“Be realistic about what those potatoes can do if you decide to move them through the packing system,” she said.

“Prioritize, especially potatoes that are sharing a bay or sharing a plenum with your good potatoes. Decide where your greatest profit is and what you need to do to maximize that, and don’t compromise the good things to try to salvage what is potentially damaged.”

Whether the 2019 season is a profitable one for Idaho’s potato growers is still to be determined. One thing is for certain: 2019 has been a year that won’t soon be forgotten by Idaho’s potato industry.

Idaho potato chips add local flavor to the lunch menu at the harvest meeting.

Ritchey Toevs (left) of Aberdeen, Idaho, receives the Idaho Grower of the Year award from Potato Grower magazine editor Tyrell Marchant.

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WESTERN SEED REPORTS

Colorado Seed Potato Crop

By Andrew Houser, Colorado Potato Certification Service

T

he 2019 Colorado growing season was a bit cooler than normal. It was preceded by an above-average snowpack in the mountains surrounding the San Luis Valley, which was a welcome change from the record-setting drought the previous year.

All field-grown certified seed in Colorado is produced in the San Luis Valley, at an elevation of 7,600 feet.

Overall yields were average or slightly below average, due in part to an abnormally cool May and June.

Certified seed growers submitted their samples for the post-harvest test, which takes place on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. A post-harvest test is required on all certified seed, whether it is sold commercially or for recertification. An official 2019 certified seed directory is posted online at potatoes.colostate.edu/ potato-certification-service. Information on Colorado’s certified seed can be found at

www.coloradocertifiedpotatogrowers.com.

In 2019, Colorado certified seed potato acreage eligible for sale was down from 8,813 acres in 2018 to 6,756 acres. The accepted certified acreage after summer field inspections was 6,180 acres.

Rejections were primarily the result of Potato virus Y (PVY)/mosaic, with a few rejections caused by blackleg and variety mix. Total potato acreage (both certified and commercial) in the San Luis Valley was 48,573 acres, down from 51,785 acres in 2018. The 2019 top five certified potato varieties are Russet Norkotah selections, Canela Russet, Teton Russet, Alegria and Centennial Russet.

The Colorado Seed Act and Late Blight Quarantine requires all seed lots imported into Colorado undergo a post-harvest test and a 21-day late blight incubation test which needs to take place prior to shipment. Also, a PVYN tolerance of 1 percent is in place for all seed coming

into Colorado. For testing specifics, visit potatoes.colostate.edu/wp-content/ uploads/2014/02/Late-Blight-Quar-2014. pdf.

Red potatoes are piled in the field at Price Farms in Center, Colo.

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Idaho Seed Potato Crop

By Alan Westra, Idaho Crop Improvement Association

I

daho experienced a somewhat challenging growing season in 2019.

Planting began at the normal time, but was interrupted by a 10- to 14-day period of rain. Additionally, late frosts and cooler temperatures delayed the development of crops planted before the rain. However, heat later in the season helped the crop catch up.

Some growers are reporting average to good yields, while others are reporting lower than average yields. Quality going into storage is reported as good to excellent. Overall, the 2019 crop appears to have a very nice size profile. Seed health is steady from 2018. The number of seed lots with visually detectable levels of Potato virus Y (PVY) in the field increased only slightly compared to 2018, and there were no bacterial ring rot detections during field inspections.

At the conclusion of the second round of field inspections, a total of 29,974 acres are eligible for final certification in 2019. This is essentially unchanged from 2018. Excluding proprietary genetics, the 2019 acreage accepted for certification represents a total of 119 varieties, selections and advanced clones. For 2019, the top varieties were Russet Burbank (39 percent of total acreage accepted), Russet Norkotah (all strains, 18 percent of total), Ranger Russet (12 percent), Clearwater Russet (5 percent), Alturas (4 percent) and Umatilla Russet (2 percent). Significant movement occurred in Clearwater, Alturas and Umatilla acreage (+38, +26 and -12 percent, respectively) compared to the 2018 crop. A complete listing of the seed potato crop is available in the 2019 Idaho

Certified Seed Potato Directory, posted on the Idaho Crop Improvement, Inc. website at www.idahocrop.com.

Seed buyers should remember that the nomenclature used to describe Idaho seed potato generations was changed to a “field year� system, effective with the 2019 crop. This nomenclature is similar to that currently used by a number of other

certification programs and is intended to promote standardization and transparency within the seed potato industry by designating generations by the actual number of years that the seed has been produced in soil. There are no changes to the tolerances associated with the various field generations.

A potato field near Driggs, Idaho, shows off its blooms.

PotatoCountry.com

13

WESTERN SEED REPORTS

Montana Seed Potato Crop

By Nina Zidack, Montana Seed Potato Certification

T

he summer of 2019 proved to be cooler than average. With mild conditions, there was very little stress to crops throughout the state, and growers report very strong yields and good quality.

Some growers received hail in August, but most crops were far enough along that yield was not reduced dramatically.

Montana growers were also fortunate to have about 95 percent of their potatoes harvested before a severe freeze.

Seed potato acreage has held very steady over the past 10 years at just over 10,000 acres. In 2019, Montana seed potato acreage was up slightly to 10,440 acres compared to 10,355 acres in 2018.

Russet Burbank is still the dominant variety, but is down slightly from 3,921

in 2018 to 3,786 acres in 2019. Umatilla Russet is the second most widely produced variety in Montana, but has dropped from 1,789 acres in 2017 to 1,376 acres in 2019.

Ranger Russet acreage is up from 1,172 acres in 2018 to 1,284 acres in 2019.

Clearwater Russet acreage continues to rise and is up from 1,016 acres in 2018 to 1,211 in 2019. It is now firmly in fourth place in terms of Montana seed acreage, displacing Alturas from the top five varieties two years ago. Russet Norkotah selections were up from 997 in 2018 to 1,116 acres in 2019. Alturas rebounded slightly last year, increasing from 558 acres in 2018 to 623 acres in 2019. Standard Norkotah acreage remains very low and now accounts for only 41 acres in Montana.

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Norland and Dark Red Norland are the most widely grown colored varieties in Montana at 110 acres combined.

Traditionally, chip varieties have not been widely grown in Montana in the past, but are currently increasing with Atlantic, Snowden and Lamoka together making up 99 acres of Montana seed. There are a total of 55 varieties of potatoes registered for certification.

Mark and Jason Kimm harvest Generation I seed potatoes. Photo courtesy Marian Kimm

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15

WESTERN SEED REPORTS

Oregon Seed Potato Crop

By Jeff McMorran, Oregon Seed Certification Service

T

he Oregon Seed Certification Service had a fairly average year in 2019, accepting 2,729 acres of seed potatoes for certification and certifying 2,683 acres.

This was a slight decrease from 2018 when 2,925 acres were certified. Lots not accepted for certification had either been withdrawn for poor stands or for lack the grower approval by the variety owner for a proprietary variety.

Russet white-fleshed varieties for processing or fresh market made up the bulk of Oregon production in 2019; however the yellow-skinned, yellowfleshed variety Gala was the number one variety certified in Oregon with 269 acres, followed by an assortment of Frito-Lay varieties at 330 acres. Specialty red, purple and yellow-fleshed varieties, as well as

some interesting new fingerling varieties, continue to gain a foothold in Oregon seed production areas. A complete listing of the varieties and acres produced in Oregon, as well as field readings, can be found online at seedcert.oregonstate.edu/potatoes.

None of the acres entered for certification in 2019 were downgraded or rejected due to disease or off-type (as per the field inspections). Summer field readings for disease were low. White mold levels were higher than in 2018; however, very little blackleg was observed. Mosaic levels observed in the field remained low.

Growers have reported average, or slightly lower, yields. In some cases, expected sizing profiles were reduced. Heavy hail damage in August reduced yields in some areas.

Harvest inspectors reported good overall tuber quality with relatively few internal issues. Higher levels of soft rots were observed in some areas that experienced fall rains. Oregon’s postharvest testing is conducted in greenhouses in pasteurized media-filled trays. These conditions, which generally lack any adverse environmental conditions or insect damage, are ideal for detection of the more mild mosaics and commonly results in near 100 percent readable stands. Tubers are able to be planted in only two weeks after a gibberellic acid treatment and warming. This allows readings four to six weeks earlier than our previous system of direct soil planting with tubers cut only after sprouting was observed.

Seed potatoes grow in this field in eastern Oregon. Photo

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“We only sell what we strive to grow…the best” 16

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January 2020

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Oregon conducts its post-harvest testing in one of four greenhouses. Photo courtesy Jeff McMorran, Oregon Seed Certification Service

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WESTERN SEED REPORTS

Washington Seed Potato Crop

By Benita Matheson, Washington State Department of Agriculture

A

The crew at Holzer Farms harvests potatoes near Pasco, Wash.

total of 3,570 acres of seed potatoes were entered for certification during the 2019 growing season. This is a 111acre decrease from 2018. The top four varieties grown were Ciklamen (576 acres), Chieftain (387 acres), Russet Burbank (349 acres) and Umatilla Russet (228 acres). The total acres planted include 179 different potato varieties grown in partial-acre plots to 88-acre fields. Most seed lots are smaller than 20 acres in size and include numbered clones, table stock, processing and heirloom variety potatoes.

The state saw 472 individual seed lots entered for certification from eight separate farms.

Pacific Northwest weather and Washington’s maritime climate, in particular, provided ideal growing conditions this season. Washington State Department of Agriculture staff noted that late blight and blackleg disease pressure was slight to non-existent.

Harvest began the third week of September, with rains and other factors slowing harvest for a time. Harvest was complete by late October. Growers enjoyed average to above-average yields with generally good quality, size and condition of seed lots going into storage.

Seed shipments to southern climates began in late fall and continues into the winter months, with the majority of seed to be shipped in early spring.

Washington state certified seed growers submitted seed lot samples for the postharvest test, which is taking place, for the first time, at the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii.

Online Seed Directory: PotatoCountry.com/seed-directory

Search by variety, area or grower 18

Potato Country

January 2020

NATIONALPOTATOCOUNCIL.ORG

Irrigation Essentials

Disinfecting Services

www.disinfectingservices.net (208) 356-5332 Power Flush

Power Flush unplugs drip-tape emitters and micro-jets quickly and safely, restoring drip system efficiency. With its high-oxidative power, Power Flush reacts quickly and powerfully, clearing out plugging materials.

An exclusive blend of oxygen and peroxyacetic acid, Power Flush is more effective than hydrogen peroxide at significantly lower feed rates, and the liquid is safer and more convenient than fuming acids and toxic gases.

There are no halogenated hydrocarbon byproducts with Power Flush as are typically seen with chlorine and chlorine gas treatments, and any residuals are readily biodegradable and friendly to the environment.

Lindsay Corporation

www.zimmatic.com www.fieldnetadvisor.com 9500HS Pivot & FieldNET Advisor

When it comes to effectively and efficiently irrigating potatoes and other root crops, speed matters, and the new Zimmatic 9500HS high-speed pivot delivers the quick irrigation cycles growers need to maintain moisture during germination and establishment.

Designed to retrofit existing Zimmatic pivots, the 9500HS operates at up to twice the speed of a standard center drive motor. Faster application means more efficient water consumption on lighter soils, enabling better management of highvalue crops.

For added efficiency, potato growers can save time, boost profits and enhance sustainability with FieldNET Advisor. A cloud-based irrigation scheduling tool, FieldNET Advisor delivers automated, daily irrigation recommendations to help growers decide when, where and how much to irrigate. The technology now also includes high-resolution satellite imagery provided through Lindsay’s partnership with Farmers Edge, which gives growers the ability to check crop health across the field.

Skone Irrigation

(509) 545-8420 in Pasco, WA, or (509) 349-7364 in Warden, WA Reinke GPS Guidance

Irrigation Inc. PASCO & WARDEN, WA

www.skoneirrigation.com

Reinke has released a new application for its GPS guidance system. Skone Irrigation, a Reinke dealer in Pasco and Warden, Washington, is now able to install Reinke’s GPS guidance on any Valley corner machine. This is a very reliable system and is a great option for systems that are encountering issues with buried wire guidance.

This system can replace a current pathway or allow a user to realign the pathway to accommodate a newer structure or circle design. A simple download from a zip drive program and even in-field realignment is possible with this system. With a new install of the guidance system, irrigators can fix longstanding areas of concern, and the system can be moved onto machines purchased in the future.

PotatoCountry.com

21

Valley Irrigation

www.valleyirrigation.com Valley 365

With potatoes, yields aren’t always the most important factor; growers seek perfection. That kind of management requires a precision irrigation solution like Valley 365, one that helps navigate every challenge of the growing season and integrates several solutions.

Users can forecast and plan with Valley Scheduling to improve water application and receive irrigation recommendations based on real field data, and they can manage pumps and pivots in real time with AgSense remote technology. Growers can also detect crop health concerns before they become problems and receive proactive alerts with Valley Insights, as well as generate field-specific prescriptions for accurate, efficient water delivery with Valley variable rate irrigation.

Advanced technology solutions with that level of integration on the pivot can help make sure plants receive the right amount of water at the right time, resulting in the perfect potatoes buyers demand.

Water Treatment Resources

www.watertreatmentresources.com Accu-Tab Chlorination System

The Accu-Tab tablet chlorination system by Water Treatment Resources provides a cost-effective, low-maintenance solution to many of the irrigation and processing industries’ operational concerns. Accu-Tab effectively chlorinates well water, surface water and reuse water supplies used for irrigation, processing, post-harvest and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) purposes.

The Accu-Tab system helps reduce maintenance by controlling algae and iron buildup that can cause clogs in irrigation systems. It also kills harmful bacteria in irrigation water, making farms FSMA compliant. As an effective alternative to gas and bleach, the system combines uniquely designed chlorinators with slow-release 68 percent 3-inch calcium hypochlorite tablets in a complete system that delivers consistent and controllable chlorine doses.

Sponsored by:

22

Potato Country

January 2020

Potatoes USA

Study Tracks Path to Purchase for Fresh Potatoes

By Kayla Dome, Global Marketing Manager for Retail, Potatoes USA

P

otatoes are a valuable commodity to retailers.

According to a 2019 Information Resources Inc. (IRI) study on product affinity, fresh potatoes can increase the size of consumer baskets at retail from $42.60 to $79.49.

As retailers continue to evolve to meet consumers’ demands, it is important to know how they are utilizing both online and in-store resources to decide to purchase potatoes. Kantar Insights Consulting conducted a study for Potatoes USA analyzing the path to purchase for the fresh potato category.

The Kantar study, which surveyed 1,500 shoppers in the U.S., revealed that 84 percent of consumers have already decided to buy potatoes before visiting the store. Of those consumers, 66 percent have also already decided on the type of potato to purchase at the store. These numbers show there is an advantage to reaching consumers prior to them shopping and an opportunity to engage with them in-store to drive the purchasing decision. These consumers are engaging with recipes online before shopping, using third-party shopping lists, looking at promotions online and in-store, and, most importantly, using secondary displays in-store to remind them to buy potatoes.

The study also revealed three types of fresh potato consumers. The first type is the auto-pilot consumer, making up 63 percent of potato shoppers. On average, these shoppers engage with one to two shopping touchpoints before deciding to purchase potatoes. Secondary displays of potatoes on previous visits primarily impact the auto-pilot consumer, as well as recipes and prices in the store. They purchase potatoes most frequently when they are located on the end of the shelf, and they are comparing the price per ounce on the different options available.

The auto-pilot consumer is more likely to

purchase potatoes when either 1-pound or 5-pound pack sizes are available.

The second type of fresh potato consumer is the responsive in-store consumer, accounting for 20 percent of potato shoppers. These consumers typically engage with two to four touchpoints before deciding to purchase fresh potatoes. Like the auto-pilot consumer, the responsive in-store consumer is primarily influenced to buy potatoes when they see them on secondary displays during previous visits. They are also heavily influenced by the availability of their preferred pack size and prices being clearly marked in the store. These consumers buy mostly in bulk or pack sizes between 1 and 4 pounds. On average, the responsive instore consumer spends over a dollar more on potatoes than the auto-pilot consumer at $8.60 per purchase.

The final category of fresh potato consumer is the engaged online and offline consumer. Seventeen percent of consumers fall into this category, and they engage with more than five areas when deciding to buy potatoes. These consumers are motivated to purchase potatoes by influencers on social media, digital research, cooking shows online and on television, price and seeing potatoes on previous trips to the store.

Mobile optimization plays a major role in deciding to purchase potatoes, as well as price, information from store associates and in-store displays. These consumers are typically purchasing 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 8-pound packs of potatoes. The engaged online and offline consumer is very profitable, with an average spend of $14.90 on fresh potatoes per purchase.

While the Kantar study showed that the auto-pilot consumer, responsive instore consumer, and engaged online and offline consumer shop differently, they all add value to retailers for the fresh potato category. Food retailers are categorized by their focus on groceries. Auto-pilot and responsive in-store consumers mainly shop at this type of retailer, while only 48 percent of engaged online and offline

consumers spend their dollars here.

Mass merchandise retailers focus on more than just grocery, most commonly supplying apparel and technology for their consumers. Twenty-five percent of auto-pilot consumers and 20 percent of responsive in-store consumers shop here, while only 13 percent of engaged online and offline consumers shop at this type of retailer. Club stores are the smallest driver of each category but are important to 7 percent of auto-pilot consumers, 5 percent of responsive in-store consumers, and 4 percent of engaged online and offline consumers. Online consumers are largely made up of the engaged online and offline category, which accounts for 34 percent.

For a detailed breakdown of each type of retailer, fresh potato consumer demographics, or with questions, contact kayla@potatoesusa.com.

Streich and Associates, Inc.

All Varieties • Virus Tested Generation II & III Montana Seed Potatoes Specializing in:

Russet Burbank, Umatilla and Clearwater Modern seed potato facilities Environmentally controlled storage

Steve Streich • 406-253-2276 Paul Streich • 406-253-0642 www.montanaseedpotatoes.com

955 Columbia Falls Stage • Kalispell, MT 59901 spudtruck@montanasky.net PotatoCountry.com

23

Insect Biology Quiz

This material is provided courtesy of Andy Jensen, Ph.D., Manager of the Northwest Potato Research Consortium. For more information, visit www.nwpotatoresearch.com.

Dr. Andy Jensen

The insect diversity of potato fields can be very high, with many species living in or passing through most fields. It is important to be able to recognize which are important as pests or as beneficial insects. Here are examples of three insects, all about the same size, that are often found in potato fields.

B A

Question: 1. One of these insects is a common and important predator in potato fields. Which one is it?

2. What are the other two insects, and are they important to potato production?

Answers on page 34

C

For a FREE CertiďŹ cation Directory, email Dr. Nina Zidack at potatocert@montana.edu

Uncompromising Standards, Generation after Generation. We have the seed for you! www.montanaspud.org

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2007 Milestone 42” all belt, 230 3ph remote 2003 Milestone 42” all belt, 230 3ph remote 1996 Double L 831 36” x 49’ all belt 480 V 3ph Spudnik remote 1995 Double L 831 36” x 49’ BC 3ph Remote 1991 Spudnik 550 30” BC, 3ph Remote 1991 Max 430 30” x 55’ 3ph 230 volt belt chain elev.

1989 Spudnik 550 30” BC, 3phase Remote 1985 DL 813 30” BC 3ph 1980 Spudnik 450 36” 3ph BC Remote

Scoopers

1982 Spudnik 24” Spudnik 24” Van Unloader Mayo 24” Van unloader

Stingers

2016 Logan Trac Pro Telescopic 36”/42” x 6’ Tel. 2010 Logan Trac Pro Telescopic 36”/42” x 6’ Tel. 2014 Logan Trac Pro 10’ x 30” x 10’ belt 3ph 1994 Spudnik 2200 8’x 30” 3ph 1994 Spudnik 2200 8’ x 48” 3ph 1984 Spudnik 2200 8’ x 30” 3ph Double L 832 BC 30” fingers

Conveyors - Telescopic

1998 Spudnik TC 36”/42”/60’ 3ph Refurbished 1990 Double L 810 30” x 50’ 3ph 230 volt 1986 Spudnik 1200 TC 30” x 55’ 220 volt single phase

Conveyors - Straight 2012 Mayo 25’ x 42” Hopper Spudnik 1200 17’ x 30” 3ph Spudnik 1200 29’ x 30” 3ph Spudnik 1200 30’ x 30” 3ph Spudnik 1200 33’ x 30” 3ph Double L 809 30” x 38’ 3ph (10) 1990 Double L 808 30” x 20’ 3ph

Sizers/Eliminators

2003 Milestone 84” DES, Belt Elev, dirt & sizing rolls cross conv.

2003 Spudnik 995 84” peg belt blower, dirt rolls & sizing 3ph 2000 Spudnik 925 72” 3ph 480 V 2000 Double 878 DE 78” 3ph flip-down 72” sizer 1997 Double 807 Dirt Elim. 62” BC 3ph Stingers 72” Sizer

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2000 Spudnik 900 60” 230 volt 3ph hang on tare 97 DL 807 62” BC with 3 stingers 3ph 1990 Double 806 Collector 44” 2-pups

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2007 Sterling 13spd MB 425hp, no bed, frame for 22’ bed, has PTO 2001 Freightliner F80, Cum 5.9L 225 hp 9sp Rd Ranger 1995 IH 466DT and 9spd w/ Logan 90 series 20’ bed 1990 IH Cat and 9spd w/ Logan 90 series 20’ bed

Crossovers/Wind Rowers

2008 Spudnik 6140 Four Row RH 50/50/50 2008 Spudnik 6140 Four Row LH 50/50/50 2003 Lockwood 5000 Four Row LH 50/50/50 1998 Double L 851 Four Row RH 50/50/45

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2015 Lockwood Air Vac 2014 Spudnik 991 72” Air Sep 2007 Harriston Clod Hopper 240 model 3ph 1998 Harriston Clod Hopper 200/80” 230 Volt 3ph 1994 STI 1260 Sand Machine

2016 Double L 953 50/50/45/45/45 Finger table 2015 Double L 953 50/50/45/45/45 Grimme DR1500 2 row 2- pintle belts 2012 Double L 965 3 row, w/Multi-sep table 2010 Lockwood 474 50/56/56/56/50 2010 DL 973 4 row 36” row Galaxy table

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2016 Milestone 100cwt, Stinger, tilt belt 2016 Mayo Surge 72” discharge 2- BC Stingers 1996 Double L 860 600 cwt 3ph Bijlsma Hercules Con 200 Receiving Hopper

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2011 Logan LP22 Electric 1998 Double L 24’ Combo EZ Tarp Dual Drive 1998 Double L 24’ Combo EZ Tarp Dual Drive 1997 Double L 24’ Combo EZ tarp Dual Drive 1995 Double L 801 20’ updated Dual Drive 1991 Double L 801 20’ 1986 Logan 20’ new paint & planetary gearbox 1989 Logan 20’ w/ EZ Tarp

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2015 Milestone 36” Liquid Treater 2013 Better Built CDT 10’x 10” dust auger 1996 Milestone 36” Duster

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2009 Harriston cup planter 8 row pull loaded 34” 2007 Gruse Bed planter 4 row off set hitch 2005 Harriston model 4016 cup, Raven Controller 36” 2005 Lockwood 6 row Pick 36” 2000 Grimme 8 row 34” row rear steer 1995 Kverneland 3300 6 row 34”

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DL 816 30” x 24’ hyd 40mm belt chain DL 814 24” x 30’ hyd 40mm belt chain

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2009 Logan 6 row Yield Pro Water Dammer 2006 Spudnik 8060 Cultv. Bed Shaper Diker Milestone 6 row Water Dammer

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Scooper belly dump unloader attachment Mayo Scooper belly dump unloader attachement Harriston 12 row Marker Semi mount Shop Built 12 row Marker 3point

Warehouse/Packaging

Tilt belt Warehouse Even flow 600 cwt 8’6” x 26’ x 14’ 30” belt 230 V 3ph Mayo 1000 cwt warehouse Even flow with tilt conveyor Mayo 24” x 53’ Telescopic Van Loader conveyor Mayo 30” Elevating conveyor to Van Loader Kerian 60” sizer Portable Washer with brushes, pumps, chains holding tank on wheels.

2012 Kwik Lok 865 Bag closer 2- Milestone Screw Sizers with belts with feed conveyor Fishbein Sewer Newlong Sewer DS-9C Northwest Bagger Agpak poly bagger Ernst roll sizer 72” Volm Pak 8000 w/ carousel Vanmark Peeler

Bruce: (208)390-5120 | brucen@tristeelmfg.com Evan: (208)757-8481 | evann@tristeelmfg.com PotatoCountry.com

25

In the News

Corteva Manager Takes on New Role

Corteva Agriscience has named Britt Beene as the company’s new strategic account manager. In his new role, Beene will focus on building relationships with farming operations throughout Idaho. He will be working with farmers to make recommendations and put together specific pest management programs. He also plans to conduct on-farm field trials with existing and soon-to-be-registered products.

In his previous position as Corteva territory manager, Beene focused on retail crop protection companies in eastern Idaho. He has been with Corteva since the merger of Dow AgroSciences and DuPont Crop Protection in 2018.

Irrigation Product Earns Innovation Award

Lindsay Corporation’s new FieldNET Pivot Watch has been selected as an AE50 award winner for 2020. Presented by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, the award recognizes the year’s most innovative designs in engineering products or systems for the food and agriculture industries.

FieldNET Pivot Watch is billed as the company’s budget-friendly irrigation monitoring solution. Pivot Watch works on any pivot brand and offers do-it-yourself installation.

It includes a solar-powered remote telemetry device and a monitor-only subscription to Lindsay’s FieldNET irrigation management platform.

Pivot Watch has integrated cellular connectivity, GPS positioning and other embedded sensors, enabling growers to remotely monitor their pivots’ functions using the FieldNET app.

The NUTRI-CAL Difference Unlocking The Key To Calcium INCREASES OVERALL POTATO YIELD

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509-952-7558 Kent Wasden 208-390-7878 Call Walt Grigg at 26

Potato Country

January 2020

www.nutri-cal.com

CHEMPORT, INC. 800-247-2480

US Potato Exports Increase

The Best Value In The Industry Humidifiers

208.970.0091 www.groupagproducts.com

U.S. potato exports were on an upswing during the first quarter of the 2019-20 marketing year. This continues the growth seen at the end of the last marketing year and is in despite of continuing trade issues in Asia. These figures reflect potato and product stocks coming out of the last marketing year. Continued growth will depend on the availability of potatoes and products in the U.S. based on the lower than average fall harvest and the size of the rebound in EU production, according to Potatoes USA. During the first quarter, July through September 2019, exports of frozen potato products increased 9 percent in volume and 10 percent in value to $305,045,624. Dehydrated potato exports grew 18 percent in volume and 22 percent in value to $59,301,492. Exports of fresh potatoes (table stock, chip stock and frozen stock) increased 17 percent in volume and 13 percent in value to $77,689,365.

WSU Hires Potato Pathologist

David Wheeler is starting the new year with a new job. He has joined the Washington State University (WSU) department of plant pathology as the new potato pathologist. Wheeler takes over for Dennis Johnson, who retired last year.

Wheeler is a former WSU Ph.D. student mentored by Johnson and has extensive experience studying Verticillium. He was most recently working as an assistant professor at Montana State University.

PotatoCountry.com

27

Small Potatoes Pros and Cons of Mini-Tubers Produced

by Nutrient Film Technique Story and photos by Brian Feist

C

an mini-tubers produced by nutrient film technique be a fit for your potato operation? That was among the questions posed at the 2019 Montana Seed Potato Seminar, held Nov. 5-7 in Missoula, Montana.

Nutrient Film Technique

Nutrient film technique (NFT) is a type of hydroponics system in which fertilized water is recirculated past the bare roots of plants in a grow tray.

In a workshop discussing the topic, Matt Barrow from CSS Farms explained the process used to grow seed potatoes for CSS Farms’ vertically integrated seed supply chain. The farm also grows seed for other clients. The farm’s facility in Colorado includes a tissue culture lab, as well as a greenhouse with eight climate zones, 17 irrigation zones and six minituber storage rooms. Mini-tubers are harvested throughout the year and then stored on site and shipped to growers in the spring.

“One of the keys to growing minitubers is having a facility and a location where you can sanitize well and manage disease prevention,” Barrow said.

Potato plantlets from the lab are conditioned for greenhouse growth and planted in hydroponic trays that use the nutrient film technique. CSS initiates tuberization, and within four to five weeks after planting, the plants are producing mini-tubers and are ready to be harvested.

NFT is an efficient system, Barrow said, explaining that it helps maximize production space and resources, and the plants produce more mini-tubers per plant through sequential harvest. The first four weeks of the cycle, or so, are used for vegetative growth, and the last 10 to 12 weeks of the cycle can be used for sequential harvest.

CSS Farms harvests two to three times per week, looking for mini-tubers of a specific size profile. After harvest, crews again sort the mini-tubers by size, helping

Matt Barrow, greenhouse general manager at CSS Farms, talks about mini-tubers grown using nutrient film technique during the Montana Seed Potato Seminar.

to ensure they’re ready to be planted when received. CSS Farms grows about 100 varieties per year and produces several million mini-tubers annually in three crop cycles.

Our isolated northern location along with our group of 10 experienced growers have been producing exceptional seed potatoes with increased energy and the lowest possible disease levels for over 50 years.

Our longevity and historical performance have made us a valued resource and seed potato supplier to growers across North America and the world.

With over 100 varieties including main crop and specialty selections, we invite you to give us a call to discuss how we can help you make this growing season the best one yet.

Contact us to discuss how we can help make this year’s crop the best it can be.

Toll Free: 1 (800) 362–9791

(780) 447-1860 • darcyo@epg.ab.ca Edmonton Potato Growers 12220 – 170 Street, Edmonton, AB T5V 1L7

28

Potato Country

January 2020

Advantages

Next, Milt Carter, co-founder of CSS Farms, got into the nuts and bolts of growing mini-tubers using NFT, listing advantages including lower cost of production, reduced risk of disease from solid media, ability to react to market changes more quickly, faster planting and no need to cut mini-tubers. “NFT mini-tubers typically cost less per unit, usually in that 45- to 50-cent per-unit range, whereas conventional mini-tubers typically cost somewhere between $25 and $40 per pound,� he said. “Depending a lot on size, the number of actual tubers you get per pound varies, but frequently, it will be in that 25 to 40 range, so typically it’s costing you about a dollar per tuber.�

The net effect is that the field yearone cost of production per cwt is 20 to 30 percent less with NFT, according to Carter.

Reduced risk of disease comes from the control of the mini-tubers in the trays and the hydroponic growing method.

There have been reports of powdery scab in the peat used for the solid media in the

Milt Carter, co-founder of CSS Farms, explains the advantages and disadvantages of using nutrient film technique mini-tubers at the Montana Seed Potato Seminar.

production of conventional mini-tubers, whereas NFT mini-tubers aren’t grown in soil. Although the water in the nutrient film has the potential for spreading waterborne diseases such as Dickeya, the right water source and proper treatment of the water (e.g., chlorination and then reverse osmosis) virtually eliminate this risk. It is relatively easy to sample the water to

ensure the absence of any relevant disease issues, Carter added.

With NFT, the lower cost of production makes it financially feasible to plant field year-three (called Generation II in many states) for commercial production, he continued. This reduces the time needed to make changes in production plans by one year, and more frequent adoption of

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Montana Seed Potato Seminar new varieties is making this flexibility more important. The ability to grow more smaller mini-tubers in a shorter period of time later in the calendar year allows for later changes in plans.

Because NFT tubers are uniform in size, this allows for the use of automated planters, speeding up the entire planting process. With NFT tubers, it is possible to plant 30 or more acers of mini-tubers in one day. Plus, NFT mini-tubers do not need to be cut, which is preferable to many growers for sanitation reasons.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of using NFT minitubers include difficulty coming back after frost or hail early in the growing season; potential stand issues due to dormancy, especially with later harvested and/or smaller mini-tubers; more variable yields; and minimum order size requirements.

Mini-tubers are more susceptible to frost and hail early in the growing season,

30

Potato Country

January 2020

especially the smaller tubers. Growers in higher risk areas, therefore, should avoid using these smaller tubers, according to Carter. Growers also need to plant late enough that emergence is after the risk of frost. Hail is no worse on NFT minitubers than conventional mini-tubers once the plants have an adequate root system.

Stand issues due to dormancy are greatest with smaller mini-tubers harvested late in the year. Growers need to avoid late harvest of varieties that are on the more dormant end of the spectrum.

Also, proper conditioning in storage can reduce dormancy issues. Proper green spouting will speed emergence and improve stand uniformity.

The two major causes of lower yields when using NFT mini-tubers are dormancy issues and frost. To avoid dormancy, Carter recommended having mini-tubers produced in the right cycle for the variety. To avoid frost, grow mini-tubers in a lower risk area with a longer growing season. In addition,

isolation from other potato production allows a longer growing season without adding Potato virus Y risk. To ensure rapid emergence and early vigor, Carter recommended planting at a uniform depth of 2 to 3 inches.

Due to the use of the tray system in NFT, the minimum order size is 2,500 mini-tubers. For varieties with decent volume, this isn’t much of an issue, Carter said. However, for experimental varieties with an unknown market, this can present challenges.

Overall, CSS Farms has found that using NFT mini-tubers at the company’s early-generation seed farm in Cody, Nebraska, is advantageous. But for growers in high-risk areas with short growing seasons, NFT mini-tubers would not be recommended.

Kimm Brothers Farming, LLC

Manhattan, Montana

Russet Burbank & Ranger Russet Certified Seed Potatoes •PVX and PVY Tested “Satisfied Customers •Rigid Sanitation for Over 40 years” •Beautiful Crop •Isolated Area •Visitors Welcome Martin & Sue •Gen. II & III Available

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PotatoCountry.com

31

Know Your Potato Diseases

Disease Identification Quiz Dr. Jeff Miller Dr. Jeff Miller, a plant pathologist, is the president and CEO of Miller Research, Rupert, Idaho.

He can be contacted by phone: (208) 531-5124; cell: (208) 431-4420; jeff@millerresearch.com

A

Late blight is a devastating disease of potatoes and was present in some potato growing areas in 2019. Which of these photos show symptoms of late blight? Can you accurately diagnose the symptoms that are not late blight?

E B

C D 32

Potato Country

January 2020

F G H

Answers Page 34

PotatoCountry.com

33

Know Your Disease Answers (from page 32)

Photos B, C, E and G are all showing tubers infected with Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of late blight. The tuber in photo B shows how lenticels in the infected tissue can appear dark. Photo C shows a new infection, which was visible at harvest. Without secondary decay organisms, late blight will appear reddish-brown to copper colored. In Photo C, only one side of the tuber was infected.

The tuber in Photo A is infected with Fusarium coeruleum. This tuber is in the early stages of decay. The tubers in Photo D appeared to have been damaged.

The only pathogen recovered from these was Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, cause of bacterial soft rot. Photo F is showing symptoms of Pythium leak.

Photos G and H are tricky. The tuber in Photo G was infected with the late blight pathogen, but other secondary soft rotting organisms are also present. In later stages of decay, it is often difficult to determine what the primary cause was. Photo H shows decaying tubers on the face of the pile. As with Photo G, secondary soft-rotting organisms are present. Late blight can cause tubers to look like this. But in this case, pink rot was the disease that started the problem.

34

Potato Country

January 2020

Know Your Insects Answers (from page 24)

1. Photo C is of a big-eyed bug, also known as Geocoris. These are common predators of aphids and other small insects and have been shown to be important in biocontrol.

2. Photo A is of a Lygus bug among psyllid nymphs. This Lygus is an unusual color, green being more common, and it is among the psyllids coincidentally. Lygus can cause substantial foliar damage.

Photo B is of a false chinch bug.

These bugs are often seen in potatoes in small numbers, but sometimes can be very abundant when they flee harvesting operations in other nearby crops. They rarely, if ever, cause damage.

Calendar Jan. 14-15

Potato Expo 2020

The Mirage, Las Vegas www.potato-expo.com

Jan. 16

NPC 2020 Annual Meeting

The Mirage, Las Vegas Hillary Hutchins, hillaryh@nationalpotatocouncil.org

Jan. 20–21

Spudnik Ag Summit Blackfoot, Idaho www.spudnik.com

Jan. 21–23

Idaho Potato Conference and Ag Expo

Pond Student Union Building and Holt Arena Pocatello, Idaho Jill Randall, jillr@uidaho.edu

Jan. 21–23

Washington-Oregon Potato Conference

Three Rivers Convention Center, Kennewick, Wash. www.potatoconference.com

Jan. 28

Miller Research Potato Pest Management Seminar

Historic Wilson Theatre Rupert, Idaho Jeff Miller, jeff@millerresearch.com or (208) 531-5124

Feb. 24-27

Potato D.C. Fly-in

Capital Hilton Washington, DC Hillary Hutchins, hillaryh@nationalpotatocouncil.org

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35

Market Report

Looking Ahead to the 20 T

here is little doubt that the 2019 potato crop will be seared in the memories of both potato growers and buyers. Fall potato crops were hit by what could be viewed as a perfect storm of crop problems, including delayed planting, untimely rains and an early hard freeze. Conditions varied by growing area, but they combined to tighten supplies of both table and processing potatoes. Prices have responded to these issues accordingly. The question now is how growers and buyers will respond to these conditions as they make plans for the 2020 potato crop.

The factors growers consider as they make decisions on how many potatoes to plant are extremely complex. They vary depending upon individual circumstances.

Inertia is the biggest factor in any given year. Numerous factors dictate that growers keep potato acreage fairly constant from year to year. Other factors include contract volumes and pricing, prices for open market potatoes, prices for competing crops, changes in growing costs, as well as pricing and availability of seed potatoes.

Several considerations limit yearto-year swings in potato acreage. Crop rotation considerations are frequently cited as the cause of this inertia.

While it is a major contributing factor, capital costs of running an efficient

36

Potato Country

January 2020

potato growing operation also play a role. Equipment needed to run an efficient growing operation is extremely expensive. Established growers need to utilize that equipment as close to its capacity as possible in order to cover ownership expenses. On the opposite side of the equation, opportunistic growers must weigh the cost of equipment needed to run an efficient growing operation against the risk of declining prices, should they enter the market.

In the past, growers who have stepped away from the market have attempted to re-enter following a strong price year for potatoes. While we may see that again this year, the efficiency of continuing operations gives them a huge competitive advantage over the obsolete equipment of those who have stepped away from the market for a few years, making reentry an extremely risky proposition.

Contract Volumes

Contract volumes will be a key consideration in planting the 2020 potato crop. During 2019, fryers cut back on acreage under contract, betting that yields would continue to rise. That didn’t happen. Harvest losses added to the shortfall. Buyers will be under pressure to make sure that doesn’t happen again in 2020. We expect fryers to contract for record volumes of early potatoes in the Columbia Basin this year. Contract volumes for full-season potatoes also are likely to increase, both due to incremental increases in processing capacity and to assure that the 2019 supply shortfall is not repeated. The danger is that processors will contract for more raw product than they need. If the resulting surplus is small, fryers can compensate by reducing the volume of early potatoes used in the following year. However, larger surpluses have resulted in contract potatoes being diverted to the table potato market. That will be a major risk for the 2020 potato crop.

Open Potatoes

Strong prices for open potatoes encourage growers to plant more potatoes during the following year. As we go to press, grower returns for russet table potatoes are running between 23 percent and 109 percent above year-earlier levels, depending upon the growing area. Red River Valley growers are getting 90 percent more than they did a year ago for their red potatoes and 54 percent more for yellow potatoes. San Luis Valley growers are “only” getting 12 percent more for their yellow potatoes than they did a year ago. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Idaho processors are buying fry-quality Russet Burbanks for more than averagequality potatoes return on the open market. The strong prices will encourage growers to plant more open-market potatoes in 2020 than they did in 2019.

Growers might temper their enthusiasm for expansion in 2020. They should recognize that extreme weather events were behind the strong market for the 2019 crop. We believe that they will realize that if yields rebound to trend levels and the industry can avoid the severe harvest losses that created this year’s shortage, prices are likely to fall back to levels experienced for the 2018 crop – perhaps even lower.

Competing Crops

Prices for competing crops are a complicating factor for projecting the 2020 potato acreage. The major competing crops have not experienced the strength that has characterized the potato market. Wheat prices are lower than were a year ago. Prices for some of the other competing crops are slightly higher than they were a year ago. Some exotic crops, such as hemp, may continue to pull ground away from potatoes in 2020.

But for the most part, relative prices will favor potato acreage expansion. An acreage response model based on the relative strength of potato and wheat

020 Crop prices suggests that growers will plant 5.5 percent more potatoes in 2020 than they planted in 2019.

Seed Supplies

Will tight seed supplies limit 2020 potato acreage? Seed prices are high.

Supplies of seed for many of the desired varieties of red and russet potatoes are short. However, Europe proved again in 2018 that seed supplies are rarely a limiting factor for potato acreage. Though Europe’s 2018 seed crop was severely reduced by drought, European potato growers managed to expand their acreage by 10 percent. Growers may not be able to find seed for their preferred variety or find top-quality material to plant, but they will be able to plant as many potatoes as they want. As an industry sage has frequently stated, “there is good seed and bad seed, but there always is enough seed.”

Word of Caution

Growers should exercise caution as they make plans for the 2020 potato crop. They should remember that while a repeat of 2019 growing and harvest conditions is a possibility, it is highly unlikely. Processing growers need to recognize that contract volumes for the 2020 crop are likely to overcompensate for 2019 losses. They should not compound that situation by planting enough potatoes to make sure that they will be able to fill their contracts even if they run into problems. Russet table potato growers need to recognize that there is a strong possibility that processing potatoes will spill into the table potato market. They also need to understand that it will take time to rebuild demand for potatoes that has been lost due to the shortages that will persist throughout the 2019-20 marketing season.

By Bruce Huffaker, Publisher North American Potato Market News

HUFFAKER'S HIGHLIGHTS • Growers are likely to plant more potatoes in 2020 than they did in 2019.

• Processing contract volumes may increase more than industry needs.

• Growers need to exercise caution to avoid overplanting and the resulting low prices for their 2020 potato crops.

Editor’s note: To contact Mr. Huffaker, or to subscribe to North American Potato Market News (published 48 times per year), write or call: 2690 N. Rough Stone Way, Meridian, ID 83646; (208) 525-8397; or e-mail napmn@napmn.com.

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37

Potato Growers of Washington

Keep Standards High Amid Short Seed Supply

By Dale Lathim, Potato Growers of Washington

A

s we start another crop year, it’s once again time to remind everyone of the importance of good seed. I know every year you hear me, your field man and your seed source all tell you how you can’t grow a high-yielding, high-quality crop without good seed. While that obvious statement is 100 percent true, that statement cannot be overemphasized this year.

The 2020 crop year will see the balance of the plant expansions by Lamb Weston in Hermiston, Oregon, and Cavendish Farms in Alberta, Canada, requiring additional acreage. The new Simplot expansion in Manitoba, Canada, will also require potatoes to be contracted. Combined, these expansions will require about 11,000 additional acres of contracted potatoes in North America, above and beyond the level contracted in 2019.

That alone would be enough to tighten seed supplies.

However, the shortfall of the 2019 crop in Idaho, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Alberta and Manitoba will create additional needs in those areas to help refill the frozen potato products pipeline, which will be drawn down to meet the ever-growing demand by

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Potato Country

January 2020

consumers domestically and internationally. Combined, these two factors would tax the potato seed industry to a level that we haven’t seen in a couple of decades.

But this year is unique in that the seed industry as a whole does not seem to have planned for all of this expansion based on the number of acres of seed certified in the major seed producing regions. Some processing varieties actually decreased in acres at a time when they should have been increased. Also, the same weather that froze many acres of processing potatoes last fall nipped some of the seed growing regions, as well, further tightening supplies.

Putting this all together, I expect 2020 to be the tightest seed supply I have seen in my quarter of a century in the industry.

While there have been years with tight seed supply before but at lesser degrees, those years saw commercial growers take chances and plant whatever seed they could get even if it was somewhat questionable in quality. Most of those rolls of the dice worked out for the growers. But I strongly urge you to avoid that temptation this year.

Because the Columbia Basin is the largest frozen potato processing area in the world and also the highest-yielding, highest-quality growing area, the industry is counting on us to provide a very high-quality crop. With the frozen potato supplies being as depleted as they will be by harvest time, processors will be counting on every contracted acre to perform at historical average or better. The market simply does not have a lot of run time for off-quality potatoes, and with where the industry will be at harvest time, all of the focus will be on keeping up on the highest-quality finished product specifications and not solving individual grower problems.

The price of seed will be very high this year. Seed growers are good business people, and they will try to make up for some tough years by shipping as much seed as possible. Your job as a great contract grower is to monitor your seed supply to be certain you are getting the best seed available. Even if you are having difficulty finding enough quality seed of the variety your processor wants you to plant, do not accept any seed that is not of a quality you would be confident in planting. If you find yourself in that situation, talk to your field man about other options, as I believe your processor will be more concerned about getting quality potatoes than about a specific variety.

The key is talking to the processor up front and not making assumptions about what would be preferred.

Crop year 2020 is going to be a very important year as the frozen potato products industry continues to grow at a rapid pace. If North America is going to be able to keep pace with that growth, we as growers must do everything we can to produce the highest-yielding, highest-quality crop possible.

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