Wet weather is slowing chip potato harvest is central Michigan. Chip companies are running almost exclusively on contracts. A few open chip potatoes are surfacing now, but buyers are not showing any interest. Growers are focused on storing potatoes. Reports indicate that yields on chip potatoes are strong in Wisconsin and most growing areas to the west. Crops are likely to be light in Maine and New York. Low solids appear to be the industry’s biggest concern at this time.
US packers shipped 1.721 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending September 6, 2020. That is up from 1.540 million cwt a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 39,898 cwt of potatoes during the week ending September 5, 2020. That is up from 27,620 cwt during the same week in 2019. Shipments during the corresponding 2019 week were suppressed as that week included Labor Day. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 81.2% Russets, 8.5% Round White potatoes and 10.3% Red potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A Russet potatoes in 10# bags for mostly $9.00-$10.00 per 50# bale. Unchanged from last week. They are selling 40-70 count Russet count cartons for mostly $16.50-$18.00 per 50# box, also unchanged for the week. The weighted average shipping point price for new-crop Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $16.21 per cwt. That is down from $17.76 per cwt a week ago.
Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5# bales of size A Yellow potatoes for mostly $18.00-$19.00 per bale, unchanged from last week.
USDA indicates that demand for Round White potatoes is Very Light, both for Long Island and for Delaware. The only price reported this week is for Delaware size A potatoes in 2000# totes, which were selling for $20.50 per cwt. That is down from $21.50 per cwt a week ago.