The Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that growers in the storage states held 54.70 million cwt of potatoes on June 1. That is 1.20 million cwt less than those same states had in storage a year earlier, a 2.1% reduction. It is 4.8% less than the five-year average June 1 potato inventory. April-May potato disappearance totaled 73.10 million cwt. That fell 100,000 cwt short of the 2025 pace, a 0.1% downturn. Chip potato movement, from the storage states during April and May, rose 1.1% above year-earlier shipments. The storage season is winding down. New-crop chip potato movement, through June 20, is running 10.8% ahead of last year’s pace.
The USDA put Michigan’s June 1 potato stocks at 1.0 million cwt. That is 300,000 cwt more than the state’s year-earlier holdings. At 3.7 million cwt, April-May disappearance exceeded year-earlier movement by 300,000 cwt, or 8.8%. Chip potato shipments fell by 61,000 cwt, or 4.2%, relative to last year. On the other hand, April-May table potato movement increased by 145,000 cwt, or 37.4%.
U.S. packers shipped 1.373 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending June 20. That is down from 1.513 million cwt shipped a year earlier. However, USDA has not yet reported any shipments from Arizona, North Carolina, or Virginia. Michigan packers shipped 41,071 cwt during the week ending June 20. That is up from 32,000 cwt shipped during the same week in 2025. Last week’s reported Michigan shipments were 94.5% russets, 3.3% red potatoes, and 2.2% yellow potatoes.
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 mostly $11-$12 per 50-pound bale, also unchanged. Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for $7.50-$8 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $14-$15 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho russet Norkotahs is $11.48 per cwt, up from $11.25 per cwt the previous week.
USDA has stopped reporting prices for Florida as the state’s shipping season winds down.
— This report was compiled by North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) for the Michigan Potato Industry Commission