Kamren Koompin was reminded what a normal potato crop looked like this fall as he surveyed his harvest.

“Size is better than it has been in the last two years,” the American Falls, Idaho, grower said. “It’s probably back to the five-year average. The last two years were definitely below, so that’s good.”

Idaho potato growers are wrapping up their harvest of what looks to be their first normal crop in a while.

Last year and 2021 had below average yields because of unusual weather and smoke impacts. In 2020, yield and quality were above average offset to an extent by a drop in planted acreage. In 2019, there was a drop in production and slight decrease in harvested acres, hurt by early frost.

Results vary

“As always, it’s a bit of a mixed bag,” Idaho Potato Commission CEO Jamey Higham said Sept. 28. “Last year, it was pretty much down everywhere. This year, results vary from one field to another, but overall quality looks good and yields seem to be decent.”

The supply of irrigation water was adequate to get through harvest, he said, adding that “we hope we have a good, wet winter.”

“We’re really happy with our crop over here, but I’m hearing a lot of areas got smaller potatoes, so yields are off,” said farmer Bryan Searle of Shelley, in the east region.

He received reports of smaller potatoes to the north, though some farmers there had good size and quality, he said.

Last year on Searle’s farm, “we were upset by weather on our quality,” he said. Prolonged high heat was a factor.

In 2023, “potatoes had a good summer, and a really good growing season,” he said. The set was good, which bodes well for maintaining quality. Set refers to the number of potatoes per stem, per plant.

Some of Searle’s potatoes are the best-looking ever, though “they’re not all like that.”

Rain a concern

Harvest was delayed on Koompin’s farm as rain fell fairly heavily Sept. 20-22.

The crop in the American Falls area caught up well after getting off to a slow start in the wet spring, he said. May was ideally warm and June was not too hot.

Late harvest of other crops tied up equipment and delayed work on some potatoes, letting certain varieties add bulk, Koompin said.

“Now we’re trying to get as much done as possible before the next storm comes Saturday night,” he said Sept. 27, referring to anticipated conditions Sept. 30.

Rain in southern Idaho during the Sept. 30-Oct. 1 weekend slowed harvest progress a bit, “but nobody is really concerned yet,” said Travis Blacker, the commission’s vice president of research and industry relations. Rain expected early in the Oct. 2 week could slow progress a bit, depending on volume.

Quality is good, and better than it was in 2022, he said. As for yield, more will be known at seasons end, “but it’s safe to say that yields for this crop are better than last year’s. Growing conditions for this year were favorable.”

‘Very good’ quality

Near Wilder, in the southwest, potato yields are mostly average and quality is “very good,” said Angie Rader, a partner in Doug Gross Farms. “They have been very beautiful potatoes.”

Yields are average, particularly for later-maturing varieties, Gross said. One earlier variety for the fresh market showed yield that was a bit lighter than average, but good quality.

First-year potato grower Miguel Villafana, also of Wilder, produced yellows and reds for the fresh market. He finished harvest in mid-August. Yield and quality were good.

After the spring planting delay, growing conditions were good, he said. At season’s end, “everything about the harvest went well and was favorable.”

Idaho leads the U.S. in potato production. Planted acres totaled about 330,000, up 12% from last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.