Farmers Concerned Over Frozen Crops

Crops are severely damaged Friday after a freezing wind swept through east Idaho during the early morning hours.

Farmers are just now starting to realize the damage to their livelihoods.

It appears Madison County and Power County got the brunt of the frost.

The mercury dipped as low as 28 degrees, freezing the crops within minutes.

Retired Rexburg Farmer Gary Summers looked over his son?s frozen spud crops and said the crops were green and luscious the day before.

But now they are black, limp and considerably damaged.

?The problem with the frost is it just sets back the growing days and also sets back the yield,? said Gale Harding from the Madison County Extension Office.

Harding said the crop yield will be smaller come harvest, because of the frost.

The freezing wind set potato farmers back three weeks, which cuts the yield dramatically.

Alfalfa crops were also damaged.

Farmer Greg Blazer estimates his loss being to ton per half acre yield on Alfalfa.

Harding say a frost like this is expected every Idaho in June, but not this late in the month when the crops are more mature.