“Overall, it was an average to average-plus year,” says Terry Helms of Simplot Grower Solutions in Oakley. Helms has been an agronomist in south-central Idaho since 1985 and deals with a range of crops including potatoes, sugarbeets, corn, dry beans and small grains.
In particular, potato size and quality have been surprisingly good across the state despite extreme heat in early summer. “Usually with extreme heat we see some quality issues, but the quality was good,” says Helms. “Growers stepped up … they turned on the water earlier, put more down up front and stayed ahead of things.”
Nearby, in Hansen, Tyrel Tegan of Valley Agronomics says that good conditions into late fall made for a good sugar year for his beet growers. “Some areas were down on tonnage,” he says, explaining that a late frost last spring meant replanting for some. However, he says, “Sugar percentage was pretty high.” This was a pleasant surprise, says Helms, as high sugar content usually depends on frost. Otherwise, corn and small-grains yields in the area were about average despite the spring setback.
East and west
Farther west, Bo Isham of Ag Idaho Consulting in Homedale has been an agronomist in the Treasure Valley since 2009 and owner of Ag Idaho since 2017. “Crops did really well,” he says of 2024 in his area, despite some intense but localized hail events. As in the Magic Valley, extreme heat early in the season – Isham saw a few days over 110ºF – were concerning but proved not to be detrimental to most crops in the long term.
“A couple cool-season seed crops struggled a little bit,” he says, particularly lettuce and radish seed. Others flourished.
“It was one of the better crop years that I’ve seen,” Isham says of sugarbeets. For some crops, like onions, it’s a bit too soon to tell. “We’re still bringing onions out of storage,” he says. “Any issues will show up in February or March.”
In eastern Idaho, Brandon Vining of ProGro Consulting in St. Anthony says most crops in his area were average despite early weather-related challenges. “We had a super cold May,” he says. “By the first part of June, we were behind on potatoes. Then it got hot super fast, and everyone got behind on irrigation. It set us back a bit.” By harvest time, potato yields were still below average, but the quality was great. In particular, he says, seed and fresh pack potatoes were of excellent quality due to consistent summer temperatures, extra growth time before October’s late first frost and good harvesting conditions.
Small-grain yields, as elsewhere in the state, were about average. Alfalfa yield varied throughout the season: first and third cuttings were down, but second cutting was above average.
Pest pressure
On a less positive note, rodent pressure was an unexpected challenge for producers in south-central Idaho. “A lot of old timers told me this is the worst year they’ve ever seen,” says Tegan. Although numbers have been building for a few years, last year’s mild winter also likely contributed to the population spike. Some producers tried to check populations with rodent bait, with limited success. Another approach was to disrupt the nests with more aggressive tillage.
Smaller pests also appeared in varying degrees of severity. In eastern Idaho, says Vining, “The hoppers came early.” Aphids and spider mites were a challenge, too.
Elsewhere in Idaho, spider mites were problematic in localized areas but not universally widespread. “I would have expected them to be horrible, given the heat,” says Isham.
Cercospora leaf spot, which had been a real challenge in 2023, was less problematic than expected in sugarbeets in this year’s hot, dry weather. Helms cautions that despite the unexpected reprieve this year, growers will need to stay aggressive and not grow lax. “Next year we’ll have to be very vigilant in staying up on spray programs,” he says.
Looking ahead
As producers look forward to next year, many are “ahead” on spring work. “It’s probably one of the best falls we’ve ever had,” says Vining of eastern Idaho. “In the five counties I serve, there’s more winter wheat planted than I’ve ever seen due to the longer window in the fall.”
Isham says many Treasure Valley producers used the late fall to prepare fields for spring planting, and the Magic Valley also saw increased winter wheat acres. “They had to irrigate in the fall to get it going,” Helms says of the winter wheat. “It was an extremely dry fall, so we’re going to have to watch moisture going into spring. It all depends on the winter.”
Economic considerations were another factor in increased winter wheat acreage in south-central Idaho. In November, Coors announced that it was cutting malt barley contracts by roughly 26% (by weight). Many of Tegan’s producers are responding by switching acres to feed barley or spring or winter wheat to maintain their rotations.
Challenges: Costs and commodity prices
Of course, economics is the elephant in the room. “When it comes to yields, most people were pretty happy,” says Tegan. “When it comes to pricing and inputs, most people were pretty unhappy.” The slash in malt barley contracts will contribute to poor commodity prices for the new year, but it is only the latest in a number of price-related challenges.
For example, low milk prices in Tegan’s region contribute to depressed alfalfa and corn prices. “When the dairies spend money, it recirculates cash,” he says.
Then, too, producers across the state are struggling with high input costs. One response is to reduce fertilizer and spray wherever possible. This cuts costs but also cuts into yield.
“I tell my producers that we’re not going to be able to save ourselves into prosperity,” says Vining. “We have to work within the parameters of the budget, but we’re going to have to grow a good crop to be able to sell it.”
Vining is encouraging many of his producers to combat these challenges by embracing variable-rate fertilizer placement. “They can save money on the spots that don’t need it and focus on the spots that do,” he says, adding that many producers own the necessary equipment but do not take advantage of all it can do. “You’re not necessarily cutting costs, but you’re putting the money in different spots in your fields to increase yields.”
As always, the big question for 2025 will be the weather. “We’ve got to stay the course and be prepared for dry conditions in the spring if dry conditions don’t change over the winter,” says Helms.
But interest rates, trade partners and labor availability could also be a bit unsettled. “The first 90 days [of 2025] is going to be really exciting,” says Isham. “Sit tight and see what happens and try not to go out and get too crazy with expenses.”
