Growers in the storage states held 208.0 million cwt of potatoes on Feb. 1, according to USDA reports. That is 8.1 million cwt less than those same states had in storage a year ago, a 3.7% reduction. However, it is still the second-largest Feb. 1 inventory since 2019, behind 2024. Six of the 12 states reporting had fewer potatoes in storage on Feb. 1 than they had a year ago. The largest reductions were in Idaho (-6.0 million cwt) and North Dakota (-1.8 million cwt). At 69.1 million cwt, US December-January potato disappearance fell 500,000 cwt short of the 2023/24 pace.
The USDA puts Michigan’s Feb. 1 potato stocks at 8.1 million cwt. That is 1.0 million cwt, or 11.0%, less than the state held a year earlier. The USDA significantly revised Michigan’s Dec. 1 stocks. The agency reduced its estimate of the state’s Dec. 1 potato stocks by 2.3 million cwt, to 12.1 million cwt. At 4.0 million cwt, December-January disappearance fell 300,000 cwt short of year-earlier movement, a 7.0% decline. Reported chip potato shipments fell 61,000 cwt short of last year’s pace, a 3.7% decline. Table potato movement during December and January dropped by 145,000 cwt, or 23.2%.
Due to the President’s Day federal holiday, USDA has not yet reported table potato or chip potato shipments during the week ending Feb. 15, 2025.
USDA reports that Michigan packers are selling size A russets in 10-pound bags for $10-$11 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling size A russets in 5-pound bags for $11-$12 per 50-pound bale, also unchanged. Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for $9-$10.50 per 50-pound bale, up from $9-$10 per 50-pound bale a week ago. They are selling russet 40-to-70-count cartons for mostly $12-$13 per 50-pound box, unchanged from the previous week. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $16.49 per cwt, down from $16.52 per cwt last week.
Red River Valley packers are selling size A yellow potatoes in 2,000-pound tote bags for mostly $18-$20 per cwt, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling yellow creamers for mostly $26-$28 per 50-pound carton, also unchanged.
– Report by North American Potato Market News