Jul 19, 2024Harvest gears up in NC and Virginia; Idaho expects acreage drop
Potato harvest is gearing up in some areas of the country and winding down in others, with at least one state estimating a significant drop in estimated planted acreage.
Harvest is ramping up North Carolina, Virginia and the mid-central region, which includes Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, according to a July 17 by North American Potato Market News. Florida and Georgia harvests are coming to a close, while Wisconsin and the Red River Valley are still shipping storage chip potatoes.
The Michigan crop is in relatively good condition. Remnants from Hurricane Beryl brought heavy rainfall to much of the state last week, with parts of southern Michigan receiving three to four inches of rain.
Potato late blight has been confirmed in a commercial field in Michigan in the southwestern edge of St. Joseph County, according to a report from Amanda Gevens, Plant Pathology chair, professor and Extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Preventative foliar programs and diligent crop monitoring is recommended.
Late blight has also been detected in potatoes in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The strain, US-23, is not as aggressive on potato foliage as on potato tubers and tomato foliage and fruit.
Decreased estimate in Idaho
Idaho’s planted area may be significantly smaller than USDA’s current acreage estimate. A recently completed acreage count by the United Potato Growers of Idaho (UPGI) totaled just more than 310,000 acres — 15,000 acres less than USDA’s June 28 estimate and 20,000 acres less than the current estimate for the 2023 potato crop.
If UPGI’s estimate is correct, the total U.S. planted area in reporting states could be down as much as 39,000 acres, or 4%, from last year. That could be enough to improve prices for the 2024 crop, according to the report.
Shipping and price update
U.S. packers shipped 1.638 million cwt of table potatoes during the week ending July 13. That is down from 1.726 million cwt shipped a year earlier.
Michigan packers shipped 39,976 cwt of potatoes during the same week, up from 30,000 cwt shipped during the period in 2023. Last week’s Michigan shipments were 98.9% russets and 1.1% round white potatoes.
Wisconsin packers are selling size A russet potatoes in 10-pound bags for mostly $7.50-$9.50 per 50-pound bale, unchanged from last week. They are selling russet 40-70 count cartons for mostly $13-$15 per 50-pound box, also unchanged. The weighted average shipping point price for Idaho Russet Norkotahs is $11.69 per cwt, up from $11.46 per cwt a week ago.
Virginia packers are selling 50-pound sacks of size A round white potatoes for $16.50 per bag, unchanged from a week ago, and 50-pound round white chefs for $24.50 per bag, also unchanged. State packers are selling 50-pound sacks of size A yellow potatoes for $24.50-$25.50 per sack, unchanged from last week, and 2,000-pound tote bags of size A yellow potatoes for $46-$48, also unchanged.
