February Potato Stocks Up 7 Percent from Last Year

The 13 major potato states held 206 million cwt. of potatoes in storage Feb. 1, up 7 percent from last year and 9 percent above Feb. 1, 2006. Potatoes in storage accounted for 52 percent of the 2007 fall storage states’ production, up 3 percentage points from last year. Klamath Basin stocks totaled 2.7 million cwt. on Feb. 1, 4 percent higher than last year. Klamath Basin includes California and Klamath County, Ore., potato stocks.

Disappearance of 194 million cwt. from the start of harvest to Feb. 1 was down 1 percent from last year but up 5 percent from 2006. Shrink and loss, at 18 million cwt., was down 2 percent from the previous year but 7 percent above the same date in 2006.

Processors have used 104 million cwt. of 2007 crop potatoes so far this season, down 4 percent from a year ago but 8 percent above two years ago. Idaho and Malheur County, Ore., total processing decreased 3 percent from a year ago, Maine’s total processing was 3 percent below the same date in 2007 and Washington and the rest of Oregon total processing was down 6 percent from last season. Dehydrating usage was 20.9 million cwt. of the total processing, down 12 percent from last year but 9 percent above the same date in 2006.

Western states held 152 million cwt. of potatoes in storage on Feb. 1, up 12 percent from last year and 10 percent above 2006. Idaho’s potato stocks were up 6 percent from last year; Washington’s potato sheds held 32 percent more than last year; and Oregon’s stocks increased 19 percent from last season. Montana’s potato sheds held 13 percent more stocks than last year and California’s potato stocks increased 8 percent from last season.
Colorado’s potato stocks declined 15 percent from last year.

Central states accounted for 43.3 million cwt. of potato stocks on Feb. 1, down 2 percent from last year but 10 percent above the same date in 2006. Wisconsin’s potato stocks were unchanged from last year; North Dakota’s sheds held 17 percent less; and potato stocks in Minnesota were 1 percent below last season. Nebraska’s potato stocks decreased 8 percent from the same date in 2007. Michigan’s potato sheds held 35 percent more than a year ago.

Eastern states stored 10.8 million cwt. of potatoes on Feb. 1, down 15 percent from last year and 5 percent below 2006. Maine’s potato sheds held 15 percent less than last year, while New York’s potato stocks declined 14 percent from a year ago.