Dec 1, 2016Slight increase in U.S. fall production
By Bill Schaefer
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports that total 2016 U.S. fall potato production was up slightly compared to 2015. The U.S. fall potato production is estimated at 405,172,000 cwt, an increase of 471,000 cwt from the 2015 total of 404,701,000 cwt.
Total production increased despite a drop in total fall acres planted for 2016 of almost 20,000 acres and an even steeper drop in total fall acres harvested of nearly 36,000 acres in 2016. The increase can be attributed to an average fall yield of 451 cwt per acre, an increase of 18 cwt per acre compared to the 2015 average fall yield of 433 cwt per acre.
Nearly ideal weather conditions in the Pacific Northwest helped the three states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho to surpass their 2015 total production and yield per acre for 2016. Total 2016 production in these three states, 269 million cwt, represented 66 percent of U.S. production in 2016.
Idaho led the way in 2016 with 139 million cwt, an increase of 9 million cwt over its 2015 production. Yield per acre increased to 430 cwt in 2016, compared to 405 cwt per acre in 2015. Unlike 2015 Idaho growers saw no late blight pressure.
Washington’s 2016 total production increased over 6 million cwt, to 106 million cwt and its yield per acre jumped 40 cwt to 630 cwt per acre in 2016.
Oregon increased its 2016 production by almost 1.5 million cwt to 23 million cwt and its yield per acre improved 35 cwt to 595 cwt per acre for 2016.
Montana and Minnesota are the only other states that saw increases in total fall production and yield per acre in 2016. California did see an increase in yield per acre but with fewer acres planted total production was down this year.
Maine reported a drop in total production of over 1.5 million cwt but growers planted 4,500 fewer acres in 2016.
While Colorado, Michigan, New York and Wisconsin all reported slight declines in production and yield per acre it was North Dakota that saw a year that growers would like to put behind them but won’t soon forget.
Growers planted 80,000 acres but only harvested 64,000 acres. Yield per acre is 310 cwt, down 35 cwt from 2015 and production is 19.8 million cwt, a drop of 7.8 million cwt from 2015.
Mother Nature was relentless in her treatment of North Dakota. Heavy rains from the last week of May through the middle of June totaling nearly 12 inches left standing water in fields.
Then in July hail storms and heavy rains damaged crops in northeast North Dakota. More rain in September and throughout the harvest season compounded an already bad year for growers, leaving some fields flooded and growers unable to get in to harvest them.
