Chip potato markets are quiet ahead of the Christmas holiday. Plants are running almost exclusively on contract potatoes. Eastern chip plants appear to have covered any supply gaps created by short crops in Maine and New York with open potatoes from other areas. Florida acreage may increase, but it is unlikely to reach the level of the 2019 crop
US packers shipped 1.816 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending December 12, 2020. That is down from 1.908 million cwt a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 69,685 cwt of potatoes during the week ending December 12, 2020. That is up from 69,020 cwt during the same week in 2019. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 87.7% Russets, 4.8% Round White potatoes, 7.1% Yellow varieties and 0.3% Red potatoes.
Michigan packers are selling size A Russets in 10# bags for mostly $12.00-$12.50 per 50# bale, unchanged from a week ago. Wisconsin packers are selling size A Russet potatoes in 10# bags for mostly $9.00-$9.50 per 50# bale, unchanged for the week. They are selling 40-70 count Russet count cartons for $13.00-$14.00 per 50# box, also unchanged for the week. The weighted average shipping point price for new-crop Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $14.03 per cwt, down from $15.05 per cwt a week ago.
USDA has discontinued reporting Wisconsin Yellow potato prices for the season because the remaining supplies are in too few hands to establish a market. In the Red River Valley size A Yellow potatoes in 5# bags are selling for $24.00-$25.00 per cwt in 2000# totes, unchanged from last week at this time.
Maine packers are selling 2 inch minimum Round White 10/5# film bags for $10.50-$11.00 per 50# bale, down from $11.00-$11.50 per bale a week ago.