Potato planting is now 13 percent finished, which is a day behind average. But according to Donald Maum, Alsum Farms & Produce Sustainability Manager, he says they are right on schedule. Maum says they were able to get into the fields a week earlier than normal.
“Our seed supplies have been arriving on schedule so our seed cutting operation for planting this year is proceeding on schedule,” says Maum. “We were able to get in the fields just after Easter and got in 25 percent of our planting between our two farm locations in Arena and Grand Marsh.”
Maum says the field conditions are pretty good as high temperatures dried the soil out and they were able to find good moisture to plant into. Soil temperatures when they started the day after Easter were in the upper 40s and then by the end of the week, they were already about 60 degrees.
Ideal conditions for growing potatoes are anywhere from 65 to 80 degrees during the day and 55 to 65 degrees at night. When you start planting potatoes, the soil temperature should be at least about 45 degrees.
With the uncertainty of weather, potato growers also need to be cautious about frost as while the stems below the ground do okay, once they start emerging the frost can set the plants back about a week or so in their development.
“Right now the important thing for us is monitoring seed borne diseases because we’re going to be taking that seed and putting it right into the ground and we don’t want to inoculate our soil with these pests,” says Maum. “Once the plant emerges we start scouting for colorado potato beetles already. This past winter was pretty mild so we’re expecting to see a greater population of them as well.”
While weather is a barrier for planting crops, so is the supply chain and inflation. Maum says this year has been by far one of the tightest years for seed that they’ve ever had. The seed growing regions only had average yields this past year so potato prices rose and potatoes that were supposed to be sold as seed were instead sold to the consumer market, creating a tighter supply.
Inputs such as fertilizer have been more expensive and Maum says they have had to change some of them due to pricing availability so they ended up having to get a more expensive product which certainly adds to their bottom line.
Alsum Farms and Produce partners with family farms around the nation to provide over 300 quality fruits and vegetables every day of the year.
Leave a Reply