A large share of the potatoes in the Red River Valley were not harvested before the freezing temperatures. NDSU Extension and University of Minnesota Extension potato agronomist Andy Robinson says the frozen potatoes left in the ground will melt away when the soils warm in the spring. “With potatoes left in the ground, there will be additional nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus in the soil,” says Robinson. “After working the field in the spring, it will be important to do a soil test.” Robinson says there are other production questions to address during the winter meeting season. “How do we handle spring fumigation, tillage and fertilizer application? How do we do these things in a way to get the crop in at a suitable time so it has a long enough season to grow? Those are concerns on grower’s minds right now. Potatoes aren’t cheap to grow. Farmers want to be able to do it with the least risk possible.”
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