Market Report July 5, 2023

News Category: Market Reports
potato truck

The USDA reports that growers in the 13 reporting states planted 949,000 acres of potatoes in 2023. That is 48,000 acres more than they planted in 2022, a 5.3% increase. It is 13,900 acres more than the five-year average planted area in the same states.

Most of the increase came in Idaho, where growers planted 35,000 acres more than they did the previous year. Growers in Minnesota, Oregon, and Texas planted fewer potatoes than they did in 2022. USDA puts Michigan’s 2023 potato area at 47,000 acres, up 2,000 acres from the 2022 crop.

U.S. packers shipped 1.595 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending July 1. That is up from 1.525 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan’s reported shipments totaled 36,000 cwt during the week ending July 1. That is up from 27,400 cwt during the same week in 2022. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 100% russets.

Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for mostly $15-$16 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $30-$34 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $39.09 per cwt. That is unchanged from a week ago.

Virginia packers are selling 50-pound sacks of size A round white potatoes for $21-$23 per bag. They are selling 50-pound round white chefs for $26 per bag, prices were not reported a week ago

– Report by North American Potato Market News