Potato production up 12 percent for year 

Idaho’s potato production is expected to total 131 million hundredweight, up 12 percent from last year’s 116 million hundredweight and 1 percent above the 2007 crop, the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported recently. Planted acres of 320,000 and harvested acres of 319,000 are up by about 15,000 acres from 2008. Statewide, yield is 411 hundredweight on a field-run basis, up 28 hundredweight from last year and 25 hundredweight more than the previous record of 386 achieved in 2006, the Service reported. The field-run total is the amount transported from the field, before potatoes are culled for storage. Yield in the 10 southwestern Idaho counties, at 500 hundredweight, decreased 40 hundredweight from 2008. Acreage for the 10 southwest counties, at 19,000 acres planted and harvested, increased 4,000 acres from last year. Because of the acreage increase, total production in the area is up 17 percent from last year at 9.50 million hundredweight.

Yield is estimated at 405 hundredweight in Idaho’s other counties, compared to 375 hundredweight a year ago. This is the highest yield recorded for this area, the National Agricultural Statistics Service said. Other area production from 300,000 harvested acres is expected to total 122 million hundredweight, 12 percent above last year’s 108 million hundredweight.

Data from the Potato Objective Yield Survey shows that 23.2 percent of the 2009 crop russet potatoes were at least 10 ounces, down from 28.1 percent that reached that size in 2008.

Nationally, production of fall potatoes for 2009 is forecast at 392 million hundredweight, up 3 percent from a year ago, the National Agricultural Statistics Service said. Area harvested, at 919,900 acres, is virtually unchanged from last year.

The average yield for the fall crop is estimated at 426 hundredweight per acre nationwide, up 15 hundredweight from last year and, if realized, the highest yield on record, the service said.

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