Clone of Market Report September 13, 2023

North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) expects U.S. growers to produce 431.80 million cwt of potatoes during 2023. The forecast is based on crop conditions in early September. The forecast exceeds USDA’s current estimate for the 2022 crop by 39.56 million cwt, or 10.1%. The USDA will issue revised final data for the 2022 crop on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

NAPMN expects Michigan growers to harvest 45,500 acres of potatoes this year, which is 1,000 acres more than last year’s harvested area. The current estimate for the statewide average yield is 400 cwt per acre. The net result is an 18.20 million cwt potato crop. That is 1.74 million cwt more than USDA’s current estimate for Michigan’s 2022 crop, a 10.5% increase.

The chip potato market is quiet. Chip companies are using field delivery contracts almost exclusively. Potato chip sales are in their usual post-Labor Day slump. U.S. chip potato movement during the week ending Sept. 9 fell 2.9% short of year-earlier movement, to 1.08 million cwt. At 191,000 cwt Michigan’s chip potato shipments were down 25.0%. Wisconsin shipped 100,200 cwt last week compared to 210,600 cwt a year ago.

As attention turns to storing the 2023 crop, weather could become an important issue. Cooler temperatures have improved harvest conditions in several states.

• Michigan weather forecasts for the next 10 days show temperatures in the upper 60s to lower 70s, with partly sunny skies.
• Wisconsin forecasts are calling for similar temperatures with a chance of rain this weekend.
• Hurricane Lee could hit Maine and the Atlantic Canadian provinces with heavy rain and strong winds later this week. Soils are already saturated in Maine, PEI, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. Growers in those areas are worried about harvest conditions and the storability of this year’s crop.

U.S. packers shipped 1.244 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending Sept. 9. That is down from 1.414 million cwt shipped a year earlier. USDA reporting may be delayed for Michigan. It did not report any Michigan potato shipments during the week ending Sept. 9. Michigan packers shipped 27,600 cwt during the same week in 2022.

Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for mostly $13-$14 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $16-$22 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $21.24 per cwt, down from $22.36 per cwt last week.

Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $16-$18 per bale, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $16-$17.50 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. There are no reported prices for yellow potatoes from Big Lake and Central Minnesota.

– Report by North American Potato Market News