North America’s fall potato harvest is progressing rapidly. Michigan’s harvest appears to be moving forward on schedule. Approximately 25-30% of Michigan’s storage potatoes are under cover. Parts of Maine, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts have received more than double the normal precipitation during September. Reports indicate that harvest in those areas has been slow. The chip potato harvest is moving forward in New York and Ohio. Chip potato markets remain quiet. Plants are running almost exclusively on contract potatoes.
US packers shipped 1.702 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending September 25, 2021. That is down from 1.913 million cwt a year earlier. Michigan packers shipped 54,900 cwt of potatoes during the week ending September 25, 2021. That is up from 42,100 cwt during the same week in 2020. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 96.4% Russets, 2.6% Round White potatoes, 0.7% Red potatoes, and 0.4% Yellow potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A Russet potatoes in 10# bags for mostly $8.00-$8.50 per 50# bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling Russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $18.00-$19.00 per 50# box, unchanged from a week ago. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $19.60 per cwt, down from $20.82 per cwt last week.
Delaware packers are selling 2000# tote bags of size A Round White potatoes for mostly $13.50-$16.50 per cwt, unchanged from a week ago.
Big Lake and Central Minnesota packers are selling 2000# tote bags of size A Yellow potatoes for mostly $17.00-$18.00 per cwt, down from for $18.00 per cwt last week. Wisconsin packers are selling 10/5# bales of size A Yellow potatoes for mostly $13.00-$16.00 per 50# bale, unchanged from a week ago. They are selling 50# cartons of size A Yellow potatoes for mostly $14.00-$15.50, also unchanged.