Powering Predictions for Potato Farmers

By Addy Hatch

Potato growers in Washington have a powerful new tool to help them make decisions about their crops, one that’s saving the industry in the state nearly $10 million each year.

Washington State University is the lead partner in the Potato Decision Aid System, introduced in 2021. It uses weather information from WSU’s AgWeatherNet system and regular monitoring of fields to create computer models and risk maps.

“We tell producers, consultants, suppliers when things are going to happen on a farm,” said David Crowder, a professor in the WSU Department of Entomology and director of the Decision Aid System.

Things like when to plant, how long it will take plants to progress through life stages, and when certain insects will be active. The site also has a wealth of information in a searchable format that once might have only been available as paper documents, all accessible via computer or mobile device.