Chip potato business is strong. Storage potatoes from the 2021 crop should be cleaned up this week. North Carolina’s chip potato harvest is winding down. Crops there were reduced by hot, dry weather. SW Michigan growers plan to begin harvesting the 2022 potato crop during the week of July 24. The Michigan crop appears to be in good condition, though it also has been hot and dry in some areas. Florida growers are still posting strong shipments. Harvest is underway in Virginia. Harvest should start in Ohio later this week.
USDA puts the 2022 potato area at 910,000 acres. That is down 33,000 acres from the current estimate for the 2021 crop, a 3.5% decline. The most significant cut came in Idaho, which planted 25,000 fewer acres of potatoes, a 7.9% reduction. Florida, California, Minnesota, North Dakota, Texas, Oregon, and Wisconsin also posted reduced plantings. On the other hand, Maine, Nebraska, and Washington increased potato acreage for the 2022 crop. USDA puts Michigan’s planted area at 46,000 acres, down 1,000 acres from the 2021 crop.
US packers shipped 1.491 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending July 2, 2022. That is down from 1.715 million cwt a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 27,400 cwt of potatoes during the week ending July 2, 2022. That is up from 24,500 cwt during the same week in 2021. Last week’s Michigan shipments were all Russet potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A Russet potatoes in 10# bags for mostly $13.00-$15.00 per 50# bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling Russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $24.00-$25.00 per 50# box, up from $22.00-$25.00 per 50# box a week ago. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Burbanks is $28.58 per cwt, up from $26.17 per cwt last week.