mi-press-releases News Release NR-12-83 December 17, 2012 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 2012 potato crop is forecast to be 16.3 million hundredweight (cwt), about eight percent higher than 2011, according to Jay Johnson, Director of the USDA, NASS, Michigan Field Office. Planted acres, at 47,500, increased 2,500 acres, while harvested acres, at 44,000, increased 2,000 acres from a year ago. The average yield is forecast at 355 cwt per acre, up 10 cwt per acre from last year. Potato Stocks in Michigan on December 1, 2012, were estimated at 9.7 million hundredweight (cwt), up 13 percent from last year's 8.6 million cwt. December's stocks represented 59 percent of the total production. Stocks include potatoes stored by both processors and growers. Stocks by type as percent of total stocks were 86 percent round whites, 13 percent russets, and 1 percent reds. The 13 major potato States held 280 million cwt of potatoes in storage December 1, 2012, up 11 percent from a year ago. Potatoes in storage accounted for 68 percent of the 2012 fall storage States' production, two percentage points above December 1, 2011. Potato disappearance, at 132 million cwt, was 2 percent above December 1, 2011. Season-to-date shrink and loss, at 13.7 million cwt, was unchanged from the same date in 2011. Processors in the 9 major States have used 73.2 million cwt of potatoes this season, down 4 percent from the same period last year. Dehydrating usage accounted for 13.5 million cwt of the total processing, up 1 percent from last year. Fall potatoes: Production and stocks, 2010-2012 crop years -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Michigan : 13 Major states Item :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2010 : 2011 : 2012 : 2010 : 2011 : 2012 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 cwt : Production : 15,660 15,180 16,330 357,191 381,928 412,147 Stocks : Dec 1 : 9,300 8,600 9,700 240,200 253,000 280,300 Jan 1 : 7,600 209,400 Feb 1 : 5,900 4,700 180,300 187,500 Mar 1 : 4,100 148,500 Apr 1 : 2,300 1,200 111,000 115,650 May 1 : 900 72,000 Jun 1 : 41,320 43,340 --------------------------------------------------------------------------