Feb 28, 2017USDA revises its stocks estimate up 4.7 million cwt. for December 2016
By David Fairbourn
As of February 1, 2017, fall potato production and stocks was 204.2 million cwt. in storage, up 3 percent from the same time last year. Potatoes in storage accounted for 50 percent, the same as last year. Potato disappearance, at 202 million cwt., was up 1 percent from February 1, 2016. USDA revised its December 1, 2016 stocks estimate up 4.7 million cwt.
The total quantity of potatoes received and used by frozen processors in Idaho, Maine, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin was 90.1 million cwt. January 1, 2017. As of February 1, 2017, the quantity accumulated to 106.7 million cwt. Processing in Washington and Oregon remains 3.2 percent higher than a year ago. Overall processing in these eight states is 2.2 percent greater and roughly 2 million cwt. more than last year. Season-to-date shrink and loss was at 16.2 million cwt., 1 percent lower than the same time last year.
Red potatoes were 3 percent of total stocks. That’s 2 percent lower than a year ago. The decline is likely driven by North Dakota, which held 13 percent of its fall potato stocks in reds, instead of 20 percent that were held February 1, 2016.
Wisconsin held 18 percent of its fall potato stocks in round white varieties this year, and last year 31 percent of its stocks were in this category. This state bumped up its russet potatoes stocks from 65 percent a year ago, to 79 percent February 1, 2017, an increase of 14 percent. The total russet percent of total stocks was 82 percent, which is 3 percent higher than February 1, 2016. Long whites and yellows remain the same percent of the total stocks from a year ago, 1 and 3 percent, respectively.
