At 4.16 million cwt, May U.S. chip potato shipments exceeded 2022 movement by 41,000 cwt, or 1.0%. Strong movement from Florida (+214,000 cwt), the Red River Valley (+72,000 cwt), the Rocky Mountain Region (+66,000 cwt), and the Southwest region (+38,000 cwt) were the largest factors in the increase. Wisconsin (-134,000 cwt), the West Coast region (-104,000 cwt), Michigan (-68,000 cwt), New York (-23,000 cwt), and Maine (-19,000 cwt) posted reduced movement during May. US chip potato shipments, season-to-date (August 1 through May 31), totaled 44.07 million cwt. That fell 2.45 million cwt, or 5.3%, short of year-earlier movement.
At 326,000 cwt, Michigan’s May chip potato shipments were 17.3% short of 2022 movement. May shipments also dropped 24.7% below the five-year average movement. The state’s chipstock shipments, season-to-date, fell 841,000 cwt short of year-earlier movement, an 8.4% decline.
U.S. packers shipped 1.342 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending June 3. That is up from 1.326 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan’s reported shipments totaled 45,000 cwt during the week ending June 3. That is up from 31,400 cwt during the same week in 2022. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 82.0% russets, 10.0% round white potatoes, and 8.0% yellow potatoes.
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-$35 per 50-pound box, up from $30-$34 per 50-pound last week. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $40.11 per cwt. That is unchanged from a week ago.
USDA has discontinued reporting Florida prices for yellow potatoes for the 2023 crop, as the season is winding down.
– Report by North American Potato Market News