Perfect season: Washington State potato growers struggling to keep up with export demand

The Washington State Potato Commission, headquartered in Moses Lake, WA, has been pleasantly surprised by the weather and its impact on this year’s potato crop. “It started out cooler than normal but has progressed into perfect potato growing weather,” said Chris Voigt, WSPC’s executive director. “Potatoes love warm days and cool nights. It has been perfect with the recent exception of a few hot days. We’re expecting excellent quality because of this weather.” One of the reasons potato growers in the region are successful, Voigt noted, is because they spend time constantly checking on their crop. “Our growers are all about efficiencies, and micromanaging the crop in order to get the quality and volume our customers need.” Matt Harris, WSPC’s director of government affairs, noted export markets are growing 6-7 percent each year and the industry is struggling to keep up with demand. “We’ve simply run out of ground suitable for growing potatoes,” he said. “We either need to figure out a way to deliver more surface water to dryland or we need to focus on increasing yields without sacrificing quality. And we’re working on both. Read report by The Packer