The Need for Drip Irrigation in Potatoes in Western Washington
Agricultural Issues
Don McMoran
Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Faculty- Director
Washington State University
Burlington
Abstract
Western Washington’s potato industry has become much larger and more complex over the past several decades, increasing from 537 acres in 1968 to 13,250 acres in 2007. As vegetable processors have closed their factories in western Washington, farmers have added small, round and niche potato varieties to maintain a cash crop that will keep the farm economically sustainable. One of the downsides to growing specialty potatoes is that the tuber is made up of approximately 80% water; therefore, even under western Washington’s mild marine climate, irrigation is more and more frequently regarded as a crop requirement. As the irrigation requirements increase in Western Washington so does the pressure from Conservation and Environmental orginizations to reduce irrigation useage. This presentation will focus on the conflict between various agencies in Western Washington along with two grants he wrote that were funded to potentially resolve the conflict surrounding irrigation in a coastal maritime climate.
Authors: Mcmoran, D.
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Mcmoran, D. Agriculture And Natural Resources Extension Educator, Washington State University, Washington, 98233