County seed potato farmers hit by rising Nooksack River water

Farmers face planting delays

PETER JENSEN

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Already struggling with a cold spring and the high cost of fuel and fertilizer, Whatcom County seed potato farmers were dealt another blow this week by creeks overflowing onto their fields, said Dick Bedlington, a seed potato farmer in Lynden.

This has delayed planting, which will likely result in a premature harvest and a small yield, he said.

“We’re stuck,” Bedlington said. “I try to stay positive about farming, but in 38 years I’ve never seen it like this.”

Philip A. Dwyer | PHILIP A. DWYER THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

Last warm weekend’s weather melted snowpack on Mount Baker and caused the Nooksack River to run three times faster than normal near Ferndale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Floodgates along the river have closed and tributary creeks have backed up as a result, pouring water out onto fields, Bedlington said.

Bedlington and Roger Hawley, another Whatcom County seed potato farmer, are pumping water off fields they were planning to plant with seed potatoes this week. Their planting was already delayed by the cold weather, and the wet ground means they won’t be finished planting until well into June, Hawley said.

In a good year, Bedlington will harvest 18 tons of seed potatoes, which are sold to commercial potato growers throughout the Western United States, and replanted to grow to maturity, he said. These growers have deadlines for when they need the potatoes, and Bedlington said he won’t have time to let his grow to full-size for seed this year.

Ideally, Bedlington said he would have his 700 acres planted by the end of May so he can harvest by mid-August. With a week left in May, though, he said he is only half-done. Hawley has about one-third of his 300 acres planted, he said. To catch up, Hawley said he will need the weather to cooperate and stop raining, yet not get too hot and melt Mount Baker’s snowpack.

“The river has to go down and it has to stop raining,” Hawley said. “It’s not at a critical point yet, but it’s getting closer every day. I don’t have a clue how things will go.”

Bedlington said high fuel and fertilizer prices have increased the costs of producing his seed potatoes, and he will have to pass those costs along to his commercial buyers and ultimately consumers. The poor weather this spring will likely drive that price higher, he said.

“Mother Nature is going to be playing a big role in the price of food this year,” Bedlington said.