Chip potato markets are quiet. Dealers report that chipstock supplies are adequate. Florida growers are still posting strong shipments. Harvest is in full swing in North Carolina and Missouri. Reports indicate that yields and quality have been good for chip potato crops in those states. Missouri growers are still shipping chip potatoes to a fry plant in Oregon. High temperatures later this week could make transportation difficult. Spotty storms recently may have caused damage in some fields. Harvest is underway in Georgia and just getting started in Virginia. Harvest should start on schedule in Indiana and Ohio.
New-crop chip potato movement appears to be close to the 2022 pace. Strong movement from Florida has offset reduced movement from other growing areas. At 2.76 million cwt, Florida’s chip potato shipments are running 23.2% ahead of 2022 movement. The West Coast region has shipped 1.06 million cwt of new crop chip potatoes so far this season, down 22.7% from a year earlier. Shipments from the Southwest region are running 6.1% behind last year’s pace, at 604,000 cwt. Reported shipments from the Mid-Central region total 200,000 cwt, down 37.4% from a year earlier. USDA has not been reporting chip potato shipments for North Carolina this year, but local sources indicate that movement has been steady. Season-to-date new-crop shipments (excluding North Carolina) have been running 1.1% short of the 2022 pace. Wisconsin, Michigan, the Red River Valley, and New York are still shipping storage potatoes, but those supplies are cleaning up quickly.
U.S. packers shipped 1.528 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending June 24. That is up from 1.447 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan’s reported shipments totaled 53,400 cwt during the week ending June 24. That is up from 26,400 cwt during the same week in 2022. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 70.5% russets, 17.7% yellow potatoes, and 11.8% round white potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for mostly $15-$16 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $30-$34 per 50-pound box, down from $30-$35 per 50-pound box last week. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $39.09 per cwt. That is down from $39.15 per cwt a week ago.
Pricing for yellow and round white potatoes in eastern growing areas is not available currently, due to a lack of supplies.
– Report by North American Potato Market News