Oct 3, 2023USDA numbers show dip in U.S. potato production in 2022
New numbers from the USDA show U.S. potato production declined 3% in 2022 from the 2021 crop, though the value of all potatoes sold increased by 23%.
The Potatoes Annual Summary, released Sept. 27 by the agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, found harvested acres shrunk by 1% from 2021 to 911,400 acres. The 2022 average per-acre yield of 438 cwt was down 6 cwt from 2021, with all potato production totaling 399 million cwt, down 3% from the previous year.
The value of all potatoes sold in 2022, at $4.8 billion, represented a 23% increase from 2021. The average price, at $12.90 per cwt, climbed $2.70 from 2021.
Those numbers echo statistics in the U.S. Potato Outlook 2023/24 report, compiled by RaboResearch and released in May.
The quantity of potatoes sold from the 2022 crop totaled 373 million cwt, down 3% from 2021, according to NASS (.pdf). Quantity sold accounted for 94% of 2022 production, up slightly from the previous year.
Growers from the 13 estimating states sold 262 million cwt of raw potatoes to processors from the 2022 crop, down 2% from 2021. Table stock sales totaled 91.6 million cwt, down 3% from 2021. Seed sales of 18.3 million cwt for 2022 dropped 4% from 2021.
U.S. potatoes used for processing totaled 279 million cwt, down 1% from 2021. Potatoes used for chips and shoestrings totaled 62.1 million cwt, up 3% from the previous year.
Frozen french fries and other frozen products utilized 169 million cwt of raw potatoes, down 1% from 2021. Potatoes used for dehydrating totaled 37.9 million cwt, down 7% from 2021.
A closer look
A breakdown by the Northland Potato Growers Association found that the 2022 North Dakota potato crop totaled 21.8 million cwt, down 3% from 2021.
Planted acres for 2022 totaled 74,000, down 3% from 2021, while harvested area, at 72,500 acres, dipped 3% from the previous year.
Yield for all potatoes averaged 300 cwt in 2022, unchanged from 2021.
The value of potatoes sold in 2022 totaled $264 million, up 8% from the previous year. The marketing year average price was $12.90 per cwt, up from $11.50 for the 2021 crop.
Potatoes sold from the 2022 crop totaled 20.4 million cwt, down 3% from 2021.
In Minnesota, planted acres for 2022 totaled 47,000, up 5,000 acres from 2021. Harvested area, at 46,700 acres, was up 5,400 acres from the previous year.
Yield for all potatoes averaged 410 cwt in 2022, down from 421 in 2022.
The value of potatoes sold from the 2022 crop totaled $225.2 million, up from $187.8 million in 2021. The marketing year average price was $12.40 per cwt, up from $10.70 the previous year.
Potatoes sold from the 2022 crop totaled 18.1 million cwt, up from 16.7 million cwt in 2021.
