April Potato Stocks Down 2 Percent from 2006

The 13 major potato States held 114 million cwt. of potatoes in storage April 1, down 2 percent from last year and 12 percent below April 1, 2005, for comparable states, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Ohio and Pennsylvania were dropped from the potato stocks program starting with the 2005 storage season. Potatoes in storage account for 30 percent of the 2006 fall storage states’ production, down 1 percentage point from last year. Klamath Basin stocks were added to the potato stocks program starting with December 2006 and total 1.4 million cwt. on April 1. Klamath Basin includes California and Klamath County, Ore., potato stocks.

Disappearance of 269 million cwt. from the start of harvest to April 1 is up 4 percent from last year. Shrink and loss, at 21.9 million cwt. is up 8 percent from the previous year.

Processors have used 144 million cwt. of 2006 crop potatoes so far this season, up 9 percent from a year ago and 6 percent above 2 years ago. Idaho and Malheur County, Ore., total processing increased 9 percent from a year ago, Maine’s total processing was 10 percent above the same date in 2006, and Washington and the rest of Oregon total processing was up 2 percent from last season. Dehydrating usage accounts for 30.2 million cwt. of the total processing, up 13 percent from last year and 1 percent above the same date in 2005.

Western states held 81.3 million cwt. of potatoes in storage on April 1, down 8 percent from last year. Idaho’s potato stocks are down 6 percent from last year, Washington’s potato sheds held 16 percent less than last year and Oregon’s stocks declined 11 percent from last season. Colorado potato sheds held 2 percent more stocks than last year and California’s potato stocks increased 14 percent from last season. Montana’s potato stocks are unchanged from last year.

Central states accounted for 24 million cwt. of potato stocks on April 1, up 18 percent from last year. North Dakota’s potato stocks increased 36 percent from last year, Wisconsin’s sheds held 6 percent more, Minnesota stocks are up 24 percent and potato stocks in Michigan are 18 percent above last season. Nebraska’s potato stocks are unchanged from the same date in 2006.

Eastern states stored 8.3 million cwt. of potatoes on April 1, up 19 percent from last year. Maine’s potato sheds held 22 percent more than last year, while New York’s potato stocks declined 20 percent from a year ago.