Harvest going well for Idaho grower-shippers

All systems were a go for Idaho potato grower-shippers in October. Potato harvest in Idaho was 69 percent complete as of Oct. 6, close to the 66 percent completed at the same time last year and the 65 percent completed for the five-year average.

Overall U.S. potato acreage in 2024 is down slightly from 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This year, the U.S. is forecast to plant two percent fewer acres than in 2023.

At 941,000 acres, the 2024 U.S. potato planted acreage forecast is a 24,000-acre reduction from 2023 but is 18,000 acres more than the 2020-22 average.

The USDA said decreases in acreage were most pronounced in the Pacific Northwest, which typically accounts for 60 percent of the domestic crop. 

Washington, which is down 10,000 acres; Idaho, which is down 5,000 acres and Oregon, which is down 3,000 acres, are expected to have the largest downward year-over-year adjustments as processors reduce contracted acreage, according to the USDA.

Potato acreage reductions are also expected in seven of the 10 other USDA-surveyed states, likely reflecting higher late-season storage volumes and softer open-market prices during the September 2023 to August 2024 potato marketing year.

USDA estimates 934,200 of the 941,000 planted U.S. acres will be harvested based on average abandonment rates.

“If this estimate is realized and the U.S. average yield is close to the trendline – 458 hundredweight (cwt) per acre – total potato production would be three percent lower at 12.9 million cwt than last season but four percent higher than the 2020-22 production average,” the USDA noted.

Average yields in 2020-22 fell below trend, largely due to weather-related issues in Idaho and Washington. 

Price direction

Following a large fall harvest in 2023, fresh potato prices fell sharply below prices observed during the previous 16 months. 

The USDA reported monthly grower prices for fresh potatoes ranged from $10.20 to $10.60 per cwt between January and May, compared with $21.20 to $23 per cwt during the same period in 2023.

In mid-October, shipping point prices for 70-count cartons of Idaho russet norkotah potatoes averaged $10 per 50-pound carton, off slightly from $12 per 70-pound carton in mid-October 2023, the USDA reported.

Fresh exports up

USDA noted U.S. fresh potato exports to Mexico continue to rise. In the last three years, Canada and Mexico accounted for about two-thirds of U.S. fresh potato export volume, excluding seed.

During the 2022-23 marketing year, fresh potato exports to Mexico reached a record high of 348.8 million pounds.

The USDA said the 2023-24 marketing year will surpass the previous export volume to Mexico. From September 2023 to May 2024, fresh exports to Mexico totaled 420.9 million pounds, 71 percent higher than the same period last season. 

Overall, fresh export volume from September 2023 to May 2024 is up 12 percent from last year with the increased volume to Mexico offsetting decreases to Canada, according to the USDA.

Tom Karst is the editor emeritus of The Packer. This article was originally published in The Packer on Nov. 1.