Potato planting near Hammett, Idaho, in 2020. This year's crop is going in the ground.

A streak of fair, warmer weather has helped Idaho potato planting gain momentum.

Rainstorms in late March and early April delayed planting or interrupted its start in the southwest and south-central regions. Snow fell or lingered during that period in the higher-elevation east, where planting traditionally starts later.

Potato planting was expected to start during the week of April 22 in the Idaho Falls area, said Travis Blacker, industry relations director with the state Potato Commission.

Planting is on schedule and in line with long-term averages overall, he said.

Planted acres last June 30 in Idaho, which leads the U.S. in production, were estimated at 330,000, up 12% from a year earlier, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported.

“Most people believe the acres will be down from last year’s number,” Blacker said. He would not estimate by how much

Water supply for irrigation looks good, but the growing season could be warmer than normal, he said.

“Potatoes love warm days and cool nights, so that’s what we’re hoping for,” Blacker said. Growers and the industry hope for “another great potato crop.”

In the west, Wilder-area grower Doug Gross in early April saw planting halted by heavy rain. Planting — which started March 26, in line with the farm’s usual schedule — resumed April 8 in lighter ground.

Given a surplus of stored potatoes, “there is no hurry to get this crop going,” Gross said April 10. His plantings were on track to be down by about 10%.

Systemwide, “we hope that the acres are reduced considerably, but that is a big question mark because of a lack of alternatives,” he said. He grows potatoes for processing.

In the state’s east, 10 straight days without rain boosted planting progress, Kamren Koompin, who grows processing potatoes in the American Falls area and seed in the Rockland Valley to the south, said April 22.

“Soil conditions and irrigation look good,” Koompin said.

Some processors want fewer 2024 potatoes — including early varieties, “so not as many were planted the first week of April” on various farms, he said. Planted acres could be down 5-15% among growers, depending on location.

One of Koompin’s contract buyers, a fry processor, reduced acres ordered. That would have cut his plantings by just over 5% had the farm not found a dehydrator to contract for those acres.

To the northeast, Shelley-area potato grower Bryan Searle said his planted acres would be “maybe 10% off from last year, probably just due to rotation as much as anything.”

“Prices today are not very good, and it appears supply is going to be long and running into things,” said Searle, who grows for the fresh market.

Conditions for planting are optimal, he said April 22.

“There is really good moisture in the ground,” Searle said. “Soil temperatures could be a little warmer, but that’s always variable.”

He started planting April 18, around his farm’s long-term average, and targeted completion by May 1.

Planting at Searle’s potato farm and others in the region is “moving along,” he said. “The weather has cooperated. You’ve just got to put up with the wind. But other than that, it’s been ideal conditions.”