Idaho potato crop will be big, but not a record

Coming off of two record years in terms of total crop value and a record yield in 2009, the Idaho potato industry will probably have to be satisfied with merely a good performance for the 2011-12 season.

“We will definitely be in the five-year average range for yields,” said Frank Muir, president and chief executive officer of the Idaho Potato Commission, Eagle. “But we’re not going to see a record like two years ago.”

Even though acreage is up almost 27,000 acres for the 2011-12 potato fiscal year in Idaho, yields and prices are not expected to top 2010 levels. Unfavorable weather conditions resulted in late crop development and delayed harvest, especially in southeastern Idaho.