Steady chip potato movement continues. Transportation appears currently appears to be the biggest issue. Chip companies continue to run almost exclusively on contract potatoes. Dealers indicate that it will take through the middle of June, at the earliest to clean up Michigan’s storage chip potato supplies. Observers are concerned that some potatoes could go out of condition before they can be used. USDA reports indicate that new-crop chip potato movement is running behind the 2020 pace, with season-to-date shipments down 23%.
US packers shipped 1.666 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending May 15, 2021. That is down from 1.722 million cwt a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 30,011 cwt of potatoes during the week ending May 15, 2021. That is down from 42,800 cwt during the same week in 2020. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 83.5% Russets and 16.5% Round White potatoes. Monday’s fire at Kitchen Farms is likely to impact Michigan potato shipments for the remainder of the storage season.
Michigan packers are selling size A Russets in 10# bags for $12.00-$12.50 per 50# bale, unchanged from last week. Wisconsin packers are selling size A Russet potatoes in 10# bags for mostly $8.00-$9.00 per 50# bale, unchanged for the week. They are selling 40-70 count Russet count cartons for mostly $13.00-$14.00 per 50# box, also unchanged for the week. USDA has discontinued reporting prices on Idaho Russet Norkotahs from the 2020 crop but the weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Burbanks is $13.85 per cwt, up from $13.63 per cwt last week.
Florida new-crop size A Yellow potatoes are selling for mostly $20.70-$21.50 per 50# carton, up from $18.25-$20.70 per cwt a week ago.
Florida packers are selling 50# cartons of size A Round White new-crop potatoes for $20.70-$22.70 per box, unchanged from last week.