Chip potato supplies are backing up. Movement is two to three weeks behind schedule. There is currently no demand for open-market potatoes. Growers are still shipping chip potatoes from North and South Carolina. Harvest is underway in Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Yields have increased due to harvest delays. Reports indicate that Michigan’s potato crop is in good to excellent condition. Above-average yields are expected. In the southern growing regions, contract volume reductions are likely for the 2027 crop. Trucking continues to be a challenge for the chip potato industry. Freight rates are up significantly, but limited availability is the major issue.
Through the week ending July 25, reported new-crop U.S. chip potato shipments are running 2.6% behind the 2025 pace. Florida’s shipping season is now finished. At 1.935 million cwt, that state’s total shipments are up 19.8% from a year ago. Shipments from the West Coast region are running 4.2% ahead of last year’s pace. North Carolina has shipped 11.5% fewer chip potatoes. New-crop chip potato movement from the Mid-Central region is up 52.9%, while shipments from the Southwest region are down 17.6%.
As reported earlier, U.S. growers planted 873,000 acres of potatoes in 2026. That is 29,000 acres less than they planted in 2025, and it is the smallest planted area since 1952. The downturn was partially driven by extremely low, unprofitable table potato prices and reduced demand for dehy processing potatoes. In addition, new varieties, yield increases, and storage improvements continue to reduce the number of acres needed to meet current demand levels, which have been more uncertain than usual. Trendline yields and average abandonment would result in a 403.4 million cwt U.S. potato crop in 2026. That is almost 9.5 million cwt less than the reporting states produced during 2025, a 2.3% decline.
U.S. packers shipped 1.494 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending July 25. That nearly matches the 1.493 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 68,550 cwt during the week ending July 25. That is up from 46,674 cwt shipped during the same week in 2025. Last week’s reported Michigan shipments were 94.7% russets and 5.3% yellow potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for mostly $9 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $17 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Burbanks is $14.67 per cwt, up from $14.21 per cwt the previous week.
— This report was compiled by North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) for the Michigan Potato Industry Commission