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April 1, 2016 CapitalPress.com 7 SW Idaho water supply normal for 2016 By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press Courtesy of J.R. Simplot Co. Green rows of second-generation Simplot Plant Science’s Innate spuds show strong resistance to late blight, next to infected control plants, in field trials in Michigan. Canadian officials have deregulat- ed the first generation Innate line seeds, making them available to sell or plant there. Canada deregulates Innate By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press BOISE — Canadian offi- cials have deregulated the first generation of Simplot Plant Science’s Innate line of ge- netically engineered potatoes, making them available to sell or plant in their country. On March 21, the Cana- dian Food Inspection Agency ruled Innate is safe for use in animal feed and isn’t harmful to the environment. Health Canada also ruled the pota- toes are safe for human con- sumption. Simplot spokesman Doug Cole said 20 million pounds of Innate spuds have been sold in the U.S. since the line was introduced last May. “That number is expected to significantly grow over the next couple of years,” Cole said. “There’s more signifi- cant interest than anticipated.” Cole said 4,000 acres of first-generation Innate seed will be planted this spring in the U.S. The first Innate line in- troduced DNA from other potatoes, including wild va- rieties, into Ranger Russets, Russet Burbanks and Atlan- tics, giving them resistance to black-spot bruising, low sugars and low levels of a potentially harmful chemical, acrylamide. The spuds also won’t turn brown after they’re cut, which has proven to be enticing to food service pro- fessionals who can now save time with pre-cut spuds that don’t require chemicals to stay white. Cole said whole, fresh Innate potatoes have also been popular because black-spot bruising is a com- mon defect food service busi- nesses seek to avoid. Cole said limited acres will be planted of the second gen- eration of Innate, engineered with the original traits plus no sugar ends and late blight resistance, in anticipation of EPA approval in December. “We haven’t submitted (generation two) to Canada yet, but we’re going to short- ly,” Cole said. BOISE — With snowpack levels well above normal and reservoirs filling fast, irriga- tors in southwestern Idaho can look forward to a normal water year in 2016. “Right now we have above-average snowpack and the reservoirs are climbing 1 or 2 percent a day. We’re looking pretty good right now,” said Pioneer Irriga- tion District Manager Mark Zirschky. He said that unless things change drastically, the dis- tricts’ 5,800 patrons can ex- pect a normal water supply in 2016. “As of right now, it looks like we’re going to be in pret- ty good shape,” said Alan Newbill, a farmer and mem- ber of Pioneer’s board of di- rectors. Reservoirs in the region ended the 2015 season with little or no carryover water and irrigators were dependent on a good snowpack year. They got it. Snowpack levels in the Boise River basin were at 115 percent of normal March 24 and they were at 112 percent of normal in the Payette River basin and 110 percent of nor- mal in the Weiser River basin. The Weiser River system Sean Ellis/Capital Press Water flows through a canal near Nampa in southwestern Idaho March 24. Irrigators in the region can expect a normal water supply this year. stopped delivering water at the end of August last year, well ahead of the system’s normal mid-October shutoff date. The system also had no carryover water at the end of the 2015 water season. But this year is another sto- ry, said Weiser River system watermaster Brandi Horton. “It’s significantly better than it was last year,” she said. “Everywhere you look, the mountains are buried in snow. I’m feeling really good about this year.” This time last year, the Boise Basin snowpack level was at 62 percent of normal, said Tim Page, manager of the Boise Project Board of Control, which provides irri- gation water to 167,000 acres and five irrigation districts in southwestern Idaho. The basin’s snowpack lev- el is at 115 percent of normal. “That’s quite a bit better than where we were last year at this time,” Page said. “My anticipation is that we will have a normal irrigation sea- son. Things are looking prom- ising.” The Boise project will be- gin filling its canals and later- als in early April but started sending water downstream to Lake Lowell on Feb. 22. There are about 47,000 irri- gated acres below that man- made reservoir. The lake had 135,000 acre- feet of usable storage water as of March 24, 24,000 acre-feet shy of its capacity, which is not reached most years. The lake had 145,000 acre-feet of storage water last year at its peak. Page believes water man- agers might be able to fill Lake Lowell to capacity this year. “I think we’re going to get pretty close,” he said. Natural flow levels in the Boise River have picked up recently and “I’m very op- timistic we should have a full water season,” said Greg Curtis, superintendent of the Nampa & Meridian Irrigation District, which supplies irri- gation water to 69,000 acres. “All of that snow sitting up there on the (mountains) sure makes me feel better than I did last year.” Washington farmer leads national potato organization By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press Mike Pink, the Mesa, Wash., potato farmer who was recently elected to a one-year term as chairman of Potatoes USA, believes his industry is dealing with too much of a good thing. “The biggest concern is al- ways that there are too many potatoes,” Pink said with a laugh, referring to the indus- try’s concerns about balanc- ing acreage and production with demand. To boost the demand side of the equation, the industry needs to continue its promo- tion of potatoes as healthful, Pink said. “Everybody wants to pick on us,” he said. “Potatoes are the number one vegetable in the world, and we want to keep it there.” Pink also hopes to con- tinue implementing the orga- nization’s newest programs, including efforts to put more salad bars in schools and pro- mote potatoes through Spud Nation food trucks. Pink also hopes to increase demand for U.S. potatoes among overseas customers and domestically as well, in the face of a strong U.S. dol- lar, which makes it difficult to compete with lower-priced potatoes from other countries. “I will do my best to help lead this organization,” he said. “I’m going to be Pota- toes USA’s biggest fan.” Pink raises processing po- tatoes on 1,200 of his 2,700 acres. He has been farming potatoes since 1987. 14-2/#4N