May 31, 2018Planting wrapping up in some areas, progressing in others
Despite some wet weather and lingering snows across parts of the Midwest and West, growers have largely caught up with planting or are ahead of schedule. Planting is all but complete in states like Idaho, Oregon and Washington, with the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reporting that just over 90 percent of that state’s potatoes have emerged.
Thanks to wet and snowy weather, Montana is a bit below their five-year average of 59 percent with 50 percent of the potato crop in the ground. Eric Sommer who is the state statistician for NASS, said some recent good weather will change that.
“Even though we’re behind the five-year average, we’ll catch up pretty soon,” he said.
Planting progress at a glance
(Numbers taken from the last NASS reports in May)
- Idaho – 97 percent
- Montana – 50 percent
- Washington – 95 percent (Last figures available from week ending May 20)
- Oregon – 95 percent (Last figures available from week ending May 20)
- Colorado, San Luis Valley – 91 percent
- Colorado, outside of San Luis Valley – 88 percent
- North Dakota – 80 percent
- Minnesota – 83 percent
- New York – 50 percent
Crop emergence at a glance
- Idaho – 77 percent
- Montana – 10 percent
- Washington – 91 percent
- Oregon – 86 percent
- Colorado, San Luis Valley – 1
- Colorado, outside of San Luis Valley – 51 percent
- North Dakota – 12 percent
- Minnesota – N/A
- New York – N/A
Yi Wang, assistant professor and Extension potato and vegetable production specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said with the good weather conditions for field work, potato planting has been wrapped up in most areas across the state. Specifically, she said, Antigo seed growers should be able to finish by the first part of June and that at the Hancock Agricultural Research Station, potatoes planted in the week of April 30 have reached up to 40 percent of emergence.
Planting in Minnesota was slightly behind schedule with the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association reporting that planting was 83 percent complete, eight days behind last year and three days behind the average.
However, the picture was different in North Dakota, with NASS numbers putting potatoes planted at 80 percent, just ahead of the 79 percent figure from last year, and well ahead of the 61 percent five-average. Crop emerged was 12 percent, equal to last year, and near the average figure of 13 percent.
