Chip potato movement is picking up. Michigan shipped 104,000 cwt during the week ending Aug. 12, up from 1,000 cwt shipped a week earlier.
Wisconsin’s harvest is underway. Reports indicate that Wisconsin’s chip potatoes are in good condition. Early yields have been average to a little above average, with good quality.
Growers in New York and the Red River Valley started digging chip potatoes last week. The harvest is winding down in Virginia. Harvest is complete in North Carolina. U.S. chip potato shipments for the week ending Aug. 12 totaled 773,300 cwt, down from 885,100 cwt reported shipments a year ago.
Canada
North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) expects Canadian growers to produce 127.8 million cwt of potatoes during 2023. That is 4.9 million cwt more than the current estimate of 2022 production, a 4.0% increase. Growers are likely to harvest 390,650 acres of potatoes this year. That is 9,299 acres more than they harvested from the 2022 crop, a 2.4% increase. Based on current conditions, we are projecting this year’s average yield at a record 327.2 cwt per acre. That is up from last year’s 322.3 cwt per acre. The eastern provinces have received too much rain during the past several weeks. The wet conditions have growers concerned about disease issues and potential storage problems. On the other hand, the western provinces have been dealing with heat, drought, and limited irrigation water for most of the summer.
Fresh shipments
U.S. packers shipped 1.433 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending Aug. 12. That is up from 1.220 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan’s reported new-crop shipments totaled 27,400 cwt during the week ending Aug. 12. That is up from 9,600 cwt shipped during the same week in 2022. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 100% russets.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for mostly $15 per 50-pound bale. They are selling Russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $21-$27 per 50-pound box. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Burbanks is $35.04 per cwt, down from $37.39 per cwt last week. The weighted average shipping point price for new-crop Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $34.89 per cwt.
Big Lake and Central Minnesota packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $19-$20 per bale, down from $20-$21 per bale last week. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for $19-$20 per 50-pound box, down from $20-$21 per 50-pound box a week ago. They are selling 2,000-pound tote bags of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $32-$34 per cwt, down from $35 per cwt last week. Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $24.50-$26 per bale, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $24-$26.50 per 50-pound box, also unchanged.
– Report by North American Potato Market News