North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) expects U.S. growers to produce 428.8 million cwt of potatoes during 2024. The forecast is based on crop conditions in early September. The forecast falls 11.95 cwt, or 2.7%, short of USDA’s current estimate for the 2023 crop. (USDA will issue revised final data for the 2023 crop at 3 p.m. EDT Sept. 26). NAPMN expects Michigan growers to harvest 52,000 acres of potatoes this year, which is 2,500 acres more than last year’s harvested area. Our current estimate for the statewide average yield is 425 cwt per acre. The net result is a 22.1 million cwt potato crop. That is 567,000 cwt more than the current estimate for the 2023 crop, a 2.6% increase.
The chip potato market is quiet. Potato chip sales are in their usual post-Labor Day slump. Reports indicate that yields and quality are average to slightly above average for Michigan’s chip potato crop.
As attention turns to storing the 2024 crop, weather could become an important issue. Daytime temperatures have been warm, but nights have been cool in several states and provinces. Growers have been harvesting half days starting early in the morning. Michigan weather forecasts for the next 10 days show temperatures in the mid-80s, with partly sunny skies. Wisconsin forecasts are calling for temperatures in the low-80s with a chance of rain this weekend.
U.S. packers shipped 1.613 million cwt of table potatoes during the holiday-shortened week ending Sept. 7. That is up from 1.263 million cwt shipped a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 30,700 cwt of potatoes during the week ending Sept. 7. That is up from 19,044 cwt shipped during the same week in 2023. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 100% russets.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for $9.50-$11 per 50-pound bale, up from $9-$11 per 50-pound bale a week ago. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for $17.50-$19 per 50-pound box, unchanged from last week. The weighted average shipping point price for new-crop Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $19.32 per cwt, up from $19.21 per cwt a week ago.
Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $13-$17 per bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $13-$16.50 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. Big Lake and Central Minnesota packers are selling 10/5-pound bales of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $15-$15.50 per bale, up from $13-$14.50 a week ago. They are selling 50-pound cartons of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $15-$15.50 per 50-pound box, up from $13-$14.50 last week. They are selling 2,000-pound tote bags of size A yellow potatoes for mostly $22-$23 per cwt, up from $20-$23 per cwt a week ago.
Report by North American Potato Market News