mi-press-releases News Release NR-11-88 December 16, 2011 U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Michigan Field Office Michigan Department of Agriculture Post Office Box 30239 Lansing, MI 48909-6248 Phone: (517) 324-5300 Facsimile: (517) 324-5299 E-mail: nass-mi@nass.usda.gov Web site: www.nass.usda.gov Jay V. Johnson, Director December Potato Stocks Michigan's 2011 potato crop is forecast to be 15.6 million hundredweight (cwt), slightly lower than 2010, according to the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Planted acres, at 45,000, increased 1,000 acres, while harvested acres, at 44,000, increased 500 acres from a year ago. The average yield is forecast at 355 cwt per acre, down 5 cwt per acre from last year. Potato Stocks in Michigan on December 1, 2011, were estimated at 8.9 million hundredweight (cwt), down 4 percent from last year's 9.3 million cwt. December's stocks represented 57 percent of the total production. Stocks include potatoes stored by both processors and growers. Stocks by type as percent of total stocks were 88 percent round whites, 11 percent russets, and 1 percent reds. The 13 major potato States held 250 million cwt of potatoes in storage December 1, 2011, up 4 percent from a year ago. Potatoes in storage accounted for 66 percent of the 2011 fall storage States' production, one percentage point below December 1, 2010. Potato disappearance, at 129 million cwt, was 10 percent above December 1, 2010. Season-to-date shrink and loss, at 13.5 million cwt, was up 6 percent from the same date in 2010. Processors in the 9 major States have used 73.0 million cwt of potatoes this season, up 17 percent from the same period last year. Dehydrating usage accounted for 13.4 million cwt of the total processing, up 68 percent from last year. Fall potatoes: Production and stocks, 2009-2011 crop years -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Michigan : 13 Major states Item :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 cwt : Production : 15,660 15,660 15,620 383,962 357,191 378,785 Stocks : Dec 1 : 9,000 9,300 8,900 265,800 240,200 249,900 Jan 1 : 7,100 7,600 234,300 209,400 Feb 1 : 5,300 5,900 203,500 180,300 Mar 1 : 3,500 4,100 169,700 148,500 Apr 1 : 1,700 2,300 128,700 111,000 May 1 : 900 89,610 72,000 Jun 1 : 55,120 41,320 --------------------------------------------------------------------------