Michigan’s chip potato harvest underway. Growers plan to start digging table potatoes later this week. Reports indicate that crops are in good condition. Weather forecasts for the next seven days are calling for cooler temperatures and nearly ideal harvest conditions.
U.S. potato crops are in good to excellent condition in most states. Growers were able to plant earlier than usual in several regions. Summer growing conditions across the US have been mostly favorable. As a result, crop development is ahead of schedule. Maine’s potato crop is well ahead of schedule and growers are pleased with this year’s crop. Growing conditions in that state have been nearly ideal since last spring. Though Wisconsin has received much more rain this year than it did last year, reports indicate that 91% of the potato crop is in good or excellent condition. Potato crops in North Dakota and Minnesota have received timely rains this summer. Growers are optimistic about yields for both table and processing potatoes. Some fields in Idaho received frost damage in June, but crops have recovered and most growers report that sets are good in those fields. Idaho and the Columbia Basin have experienced a heatwave for the past several weeks. However, growers have been able to keep up with irrigation. High temperatures may have taken the top off yields in western Idaho, though growers in the central and eastern parts of the state are expecting strong yields. Harvest is underway in the Columbia Basin. Yields and quality for early-harvested varieties have been exceptional. Columbia Basin growers are expecting average to slightly above average yields for storage potatoes. In the San Luis Valley, yields are expected to be up from last year.
U.S. packers shipped 1.479 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending Aug. 3. That is up from 1.430 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 43,250 cwt of potatoes during the week ending Aug. 3. That is up from 30,943 cwt shipped during the same week in 2023. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 85.4% russets, 12.5% round white potatoes, and 2.1% yellow potatoes.
The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Burbanks is $12.09 per cwt, up from $12.07 per cwt a week ago.
USDA did not report prices for other areas this week.
Report by North American Potato Market News