Nothing went quite as planned from planting to harvest to shipping, but in the end it will turn out to be a successful 2009 crop for most fresh growers. It all started when a late spring delayed planting. Growers were faced with planting potatoes, sugar beets, beans and wheat all at the same time but they got the job done. Then after a hot steamy day in late June, thunderheads billowed up and unleashed up to six inches of rain in a short period of time. Hardest hit was the heart of the red growing area in the northern valley. The newly emerged potatoes were no match for the standing water. In the end, 4,000 acres of potatoes were lost in eastern North Dakota.
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