The chip potato harvest is moving forward. Michigan’s chip potato yields are above average, though they are down slightly from last year. Growers and buyers are pleased with the quality. Michigan growers plan to start storing potatoes this week. In Maine, chip potato yields and quality are above average. Early movement has been good. Reports indicate that contract negotiations for Florida’s 2025 crop are underway.
U.S. chip potato shipments during the five weeks in August fell 1.9% short of 2023 movement. At 4.486 million cwt, that is 86,000 cwt less than the industry shipped during the same five-week period a year earlier. Reduced shipments from the Mid-Central region (-286,000 cwt), Michigan (-95,000 cwt), and the Rocky Mountain region (-91,000 cwt) were the largest factors in the decline. Florida (-18,000 cwt), Virginia (-13,000 cwt), and North Carolina (-12,000 cwt) also posted slower movement during August. Reported August chip potato shipments from the Southwest region (+149,000 cwt), the West Coast region (+81,000 cwt), Wisconsin (+58,000 cwt), the Red River Valley (+40,000 cwt), New York (+38,000 cwt), Maine (+36,000 cwt), and Pennsylvania (+19,000 cwt) exceeded year-earlier movement. Season-to-date, total new-crop chip potato shipments are running 1.8% behind the 2023 pace.
U.S. packers shipped 1.331 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending Aug. 31. That is down from 1.523 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 37,846 cwt of potatoes during the week ending Aug. 31. That is up from 36,244 cwt shipped during the same week in 2023. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 98.8% russets and 1.2% round white potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for $9-$11 per 50-pound bale, down from $9.50-$11 per 50-pound bale a week ago. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for $17.50-$19 per 50-pound box, unchanged from last week. The weighted average shipping point price for new-crop Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $19.21 per cwt, down from $19.68 per cwt a week ago.
Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $13-$17 per bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $13-$16.50 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. Big Lake and Central Minnesota packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $13-$14.50 per bale, down from $14-$14.50 a week ago. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $13.00-$14.50 per 50-pound box, down from $14-$14.50 last week. They are selling 2,000-pound tote bags of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $20-$23 per cwt, down from $22-$23 per cwt a week ago.
Report by North American Potato Market News