Idaho Cuts 40,000 Acres

Minidoka County at Rupert, ID, leads the way in Idaho's efforts to cut potato acres this year, with 8,000 acres shaved in the southern Idaho growing area.

With Bingham County at Aberdeen/Blackfoot, ID, a distant second with 4,500 acres cut, the total acres cut by the state is pleasing the industry.

However, there is a big descrepancy between the Farm Service Agency that uses the 40,000-acre figure and Idaho Ag Statistics which reported a 25,000 cut.

FAS is reporting 322,000 acres planted. However, according to PGI, this year there were over 9,000 acres of "prevented planting," which needs to be subtracted from the 322,000 figure. That will put Idaho at just over 313,000 acres for 2005.

PGI says it may be possible that there will be some minor revisions to come from the FSA. All growers have now reported.

Idaho Ag Statistics is the final authority on the figures but FAS believes that Ag Stats will have to changes its estimate in the next report due in November.

Every one of the major potato-producing counties in Idaho showed acreage cuts, with most in the 3,400-acre range of Twin Falls County to the 1,000-acre cut in Teton County at Driggs, ID.