News

Potato planting about 5 days behind normal

Potato growers are in the fields day and night trying to plant as much as possible before the next rain.  Okray Family Farms near Plover, Wisconsin is one of them.

Farm Manager Richard Rashke tells Brownfield the cool, wet spring made this year a tie for the latest they’ve ever started planting.  “Our target is usually around April 12th to the 15th.  We like to be out for what we’re doing.  This year, it’s the 26th.  2013 was kind of the same way.  I think we started on the same day.”

And, he says that late start means they have to hope the crop does well without more unfavorable weather.  “We’re really banking on the fact that Mother Nature is going to give us a little bit of an extended fall so we won’t have to worry about freezing, maybe, until late October instead of the beginning of October.”

Rashke says they can plant about 130 acres of potatoes a day and estimates their crew will be planting day and night, weather permitting, for another seven days.  Rain is in their forecast Wednesday and Friday.

President Dick Okray says they’re about half done, and the wetter fields were planted first.  He tells Brownfield this year’s crop will have a few less red potatoes, more yellow potatoes, and about the same amount of Russets as consumer demand for the reds dropped off a little.

Okray says the canning factories are also asking them to get started with sweet corn, peas, and green bean planting this weekend if possible.  He says the canners work with growers to arrange planting dates so they can make an efficient harvesting schedule.

Richard Rashke talks about potato planting with Brownfield’s Larry Lee