Ontario and Quebec have smaller chip potato inventories than they held a year ago. Ontario had 5.3% fewer chip potatoes left in storage on Jan. 1. December chip potato disappearance in Ontario exceeded the 2024 pace by 9.5%. If that usage rate continues, Ontario’s chip potatoes would last through Aug. 11. Quebec’s total processing potato stocks (chipstock and fry quality) are down 6.8% from Jan. 1, 2025. Quebec’s processing potato disappearance fell 14.7% below year-earlier movement. At the December usage pace, the remaining processing potatoes would last through Nov. 10. PEI also has smaller chipstock inventories than it had a year ago. New Brunswick’s stocks could be up slightly. Even with lower chip potato inventories, we believe that supplies are sufficient to carry the Canadian chip industry through the storage season.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) revised its potato production estimates this week. It now reports that U.S. growers produced 412.86 million cwt of potatoes. That is 798,000 cwt more than USDA’s November crop estimate. However, it is 8.31 million cwt, or 2.0%, less than the 2024 crop. Production numbers were adjusted for eight of the 13 reporting states. Estimates for Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon, and Texas were unchanged.
USDA increased the Michigan’s harvested area estimate by 500 acres, to 47,500 acres. In addition, it increased the average yield estimate by 5 cwt, to 435 cwt per acre. Those changes boosted Michigan’s 2025 potato crop to 20.66 million cwt, up 1.2% from 2024 production.
U.S. packers shipped 1.885 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending Jan. 10. That is down from 1.892 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 33,492 cwt during the week ending Jan. 10. That is down from 71,529 cwt shipped during the same week in 2025. Last week’s reported Michigan shipments were 65.2% russets, 23.3% yellow potatoes, 10.2% round white potatoes, and 1.3% red potatoes.
The USDA reports that Michigan packers are selling size A russets in 10-pound bags for mostly $10-$11 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling size A russets in 5-pound bags for $11-$12 per 50-pound bale, also unchanged. Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for $7-$7.50 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for $10-$11 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $9.48 per cwt, down from $10.18 per cwt the previous week.
Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for $14-$16 per bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for $14-$15 per 50-pound box, also unchanged.
– This report was compiled by North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) for the Michigan Potato Industry Commission.