mi-press-releases

News Release
NR-13-13
February 19, 2013

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

February Potato Stocks

Fall potato stocks in Michigan on February 1, 2013, were estimated at 5.7 
million hundredweight (cwt), according to Jay Johnson, Director of the USDA, 
NASS, Michigan Field Office. February's stocks represent 36 percent of the 
total production, up 21 percent from last year's 4.7 million cwt. Stocks by 
type were 86 percent round white and 14 percent russet. Stocks include 
potatoes stored by both processors and growers. 

Michigan disappearance of this year's crop, from harvest to February 1, 2013,  
totaled 10.225 million cwt. Disappearance from last year's crop during the 
comparable time period was 10.48 million cwt. Disappearance includes sales, 
shrink, and waste.

The 13 major potato States held 214 million cwt of potatoes in storage 
February 1, 2013, up 14 percent from a year ago. Potatoes in storage 
accounted for 52 percent of the 2012 fall storage States' production, up 
three percentage points from the previous year. Potato disappearance, at 199 
million cwt, was 2 percent above February 1, 2012. Season-to-date shrink and 
loss, at 18.9 million cwt, was up slightly from the same date in 2012. 
Processors in the 9 major States have used 107 million cwt of potatoes this 
season, down 2 percent from the same period last year. Dehydrating usage 
accounted for 20.8 million cwt of the total processing, virtually unchanged 
from last year.

             Fall potatoes: Production and stocks, 2010-2012 crop years             
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            :             Michigan              :          13 Major States          
    Item    :-----------------------------------------------------------------------
            :   2010    :   2011    :  2012 1/  :   2010    :   2011    : 2012  1/  
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            :                               1,000 cwt                               
            :                                                                       
Production  :  15,660      15,180      15,925      357,191     381,928     412,831  
Stocks      :                                                                       
  Dec 1     :   9,300       8,600       9,700      240,200     253,000     279,515  
  Jan 1     :   7,600                              209,400                          
  Feb 1     :   5,900       4,700       5,700      180,300     187,500     214,000  
  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              
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1/ January, March, and May Stocks have been discontinued.