Power County is seeing good crops from harvest

The hot and dry summer has not been good for firefighters in southeastern Idaho. But it’s a different story for local farmers.

Sprinklers has been really the only source of water crops have seen in Power County this season. With very little rain, farmers have had to rely heavily on irrigation water. Local farming experts said while the season has taken a toll on water resources, it’s paid off for the crops.

“The crops started out really good this year,” said Terrell Sorensen, educator for the Power County Extension Office. “Most of the fall wheat has been harvested, it’s been really excellent this year. The yields have been way up.”

“We’ve had a mild growing season,” said John Thompson, public relations director for Idaho Farm Bureau. “It’s been a good growing season. We haven’t had extreme heat, and that’s resulted in good quality and high yields on almost everything. Some of the wheat is exceeding 150 bushels an acre which is a big yield, really big.”

Sorensen said high yields have not meant high prices though.

“The biggest problem right now is the prices have really come down on it,” Sorensen said. “We’re hoping we can maybe get a rebound this coming fall and winter on the prices, but right now they’re pretty low.”

Sorensen said besides low prices, there’s something else that’s been bugging farmers this season.

“We’ve had 3 or 4 farmers come in and get bait for the grasshoppers,” Sorensen said. “The grasshoppers are really getting heavy in some areas.”

Sorensen said grasshoppers are pests because they eat the alfalfa and fall wheat. But Sorensen said neither grasshoppers nor weather conditions have caused any significant loss this season.

The extension office said it has seen great crops in wheat, alfalfa and sugar beets. Sorensen said while some potato crops have been dying out early, potatoes overall are also doing good.

Sorensen said farmers do need some moisture now to help refill some of those irrigation stores.