USDA: 2017 potato crop value up in Idaho, down in Oregon, Washington 

 The latest numbers from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) show that the Idaho, Oregon, and Washington combined potato crop was valued at $1.83 billion for 2017.

The final value of Idaho’s 2017 potato crop was $975 million, up one percent from 2016. The marketing year average price for potatoes in Idaho was $7.23 per cwt (per hundredweight), up 28 cents from last year. In Oregon, the 2017 potato crop was valued at $168 million, down seven percent from last year. The potato price was $7.86 per cwt, down four cents from last year. Washington’s 2017 potato crop was valued at $687 million, down 16 percent from 2016. The marketing year average price for fall potatoes was $6.92 per cwt, down 78 cents from the previous year.

In Idaho, fall potato production for 2017 totaled 135 million cwt. In Oregon, production was 21.4 million cwt. Production in Washington was 99.2 million cwt. The combined production for the three states was 58 percent of U.S. fall potato production in 2017.

Processors in Idaho and Malheur County Oregon used a total of 87,379 cwt in 2017, which was down six percent from 2016. Washington and Oregon, excluding Malheur County, processors used 91,160 cwt during 2017, up slightly from last year.

 Fall potato acreage by variety 

 The NASS data includes information on varieties from seven states, which account for 83 percent of the 2017 United States fall potato planted acres. The agency said those seven states conduct objective yield surveys where all producing areas are sampled in proportion to planted acreage with variety data being actual percentages from these surveys.

 

In the Northwest Region, the following varieties accounted for 10 percent or more of acres planted in 2018. In Idaho, the Russet Burbank variety accounted for 44.9 percent of the potato acreage planted. Russet Norkotah accounted for 18 percent of plantings, and Ranger Russet was 13.5 percent. In Oregon, the Umatilla Russet variety accounted for 17.8 percent of planted acres. This was followed by Russet Norkotah at 15.4 percent of plantings, Alturas at 13.0 percent, Shepody at 11.9 percent, Ranger Russet at 11.4 percent and Clearwater at 10 percent of planted acres. In Washington, Russet Burbank accounted for 29.6 percent of acreage planted. Umatilla Russet accounted for 14.8 percent of plantings.

The most common variety in the seven states conducting the objective yield survey was Russet Burbank, which accounted 37.8 percent of acres planted in the seven states. This was followed by Russet Norkotah at 10.8 percent.