North Dakota Ag Connection - 35 Percent of 2017 N.D. Potato Crop in Storage

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35 Percent of 2017 N.D. Potato Crop in Storage
North Dakota Ag Connection - 04/19/2018

North Dakota growers, dealers, and processors held 8.90 million cwt of potatoes in storage on April 1, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Current stocks represent 35 percent of the 2017 production. Total stocks are defined as all potatoes on hand, regardless of use, including those that will be lost through future shrinkage and dumping.

The USDA reported the 13 major potato states held 134 million cwt. of potatoes in storage April 1, up 2 percent from the same date a year ago.

The USDA said potatoes in storage accounted for 33 percent of the fall storage states' 2017 production, 1 percent more than last year.

Potato stocks in Idaho totaled 50 million cwt. on April 1, down 4% from 52 million cwt. from a year ago. As a percent of production, Idaho potato stocks represented 38 percent of the state's 2017 production, up 1 percent from a year ago.

Shipping point prices for Idaho size 60-count cartons of Idaho russet burbank potatoes were trading at $12.50-$13 per 50-pound carton on April 17, up from $9.50-$10 per carton a year ago.

Shipping point prices for cartons of 10 5-pound bags of Idaho potatoes were $5-$6.50 per carton on April 17, also up from $3.50-$4.50 per carton a year ago.

In Washington, the state with the second-highest potato stocks on April 1, the USDA reported 30 million cwt. of potatoes on hand. That was up 3.4% from 29 million cwt. the same time a year ago. Washington's stocks accounted for 30 percent of 2017 production, up from 27 percent of 2016 production on hand on April 1 last year.

The April potato stocks report said U.S. potato disappearance, at 266 million cwt., was down 3% from a year ago.

Season-to-date shrink and loss, at 19.3 million cwt, was 8 percent lower than the same time last year, according to the report. Processors in the eight major states used 146 million cwt., up 1 percent from April 2017.

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