TWIN FALLS, Idaho — “World Famous Potatoes.” That's a reputation the Gem State has had for almost 80 years. And it's a reputation that is gaining ground every day.
So how does this year’s harvest compare to years past?
"Well, we’re still uncertain,” said Frank Muir, president and CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission. “Obviously there are still some digs that are taking place and the harvest will not be completed for another two to three weeks, but it looks like we harvested in the neighborhood of 321,000 acres and anticipate it will be in the ballpark of about 13 billion pounds."
With almost 13 billion pounds of potatoes being harvested this year, what does that equate to with a dollar sign?
"It just really depends on what the average price is for the year. In this past year we approached a billion dollars in farm-gate revenue. So it's really hard to say, it depends on what the average price is," said Muir.
With crop numbers looking strong for the year, farmers are hopeful that they will be getting top price for their potatoes. All this, despite one of the wettest harvest seasons in recent memory.
"It's a challenge that our growers have learned to adapt to. This is probably the wettest harvest that we've had in more than 10 years," said Muir.
But what, if any, impacts did this wet weather play on crop numbers this fall?
"What it probably did was take a little top off this crop,” said Muir. “There were those that were predicting that our crop was going to come in larger than we anticipated a couple months ago. And now I think this probably reduced that projection. I think we'll be in the five-year yield; I don't think we will be anywhere near the top of that yield. But I think we will be in the five-year average."
Still, the No.1 crop in the state and a world-recognized brand that continues to grow.
Source: KMVT-TV