Michigan’s potato harvest continues to ramp up. Yields are average to slightly above average. Reports indicate that the quality is good. Chip potato business is steady. Markets are quiet as growers prepare fields to go into storage. Field delivery supplies are plentiful. There is very little open market demand.
New-crop U.S. chip potato movement, through Aug. 26, is running 6.7% ahead of last year’s pace. Most of the increase came in early shipments from Florida and North Carolina. Michigan’s shipments are running 37.1% short of year-earlier movement. Wisconsin’s new-crop chip potato movement is 22.1% behind the 2022 pace. New York has shipped 44.8% fewer chip potatoes than it had at this time last year. Maine and the Red River Valley have started digging new-crop chip potatoes.
U.S. packers shipped 1.402 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending Aug. 26. That is up from 1.338 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 34,100 cwt of potatoes during the week ending Aug. 26. That is up from 24,000 cwt shipped during the same week in 2022. Last week’s reported Michigan shipments were 100% russets.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for mostly $13-$14 per 50-pound bale, down from $14-$15 per 50-pound bale last week. They are selling Russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $18-$22 per 50-pound box, down from $20-$23 per 50-pound box a week ago. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $28.46 per cwt, down from $33.57 per cwt last week.
Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $16-$20 per bale, down from $18-$22 per bale a week ago. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $16-$20 per 50-pound box, down from $18-$22 per 50-pound box last week. Big Lake and Central Minnesota packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $15-$16.50 per bale, down from $18-$19 per bale last week. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for $15-$15.50 per 50-pound box, down from $18-$19 per 50-pound box a week ago. They are selling 2,000-pound tote bags of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $24-$25 per cwt, down from $30-$32 per cwt last week.
– Report by North American Potato Market News