Southern Idaho potato growers have been hammered by dry winds over the last several weeks that have taken valuable moisture out of their topsoil, stymieing the progress of this year's potato crop.
Some growers are having to "water up" their potatoes, putting on early irrigations to help get sprouting and early growth.
Because of severe winds, which have also caused some growers to replant sugarbeets in some areas up to three times, the potato crop's development will be slowed. However, most potato crops can "catch up" when the heat units increase and water is regularly. applied during the season.
"We just got done planting ours," a grower said May 22. "We had to get financing in place and its been tough," the Burley, ID-area grower explained.