The USDA NASS
 New York Field Office
"Fact Finders for Agriculture"

E-mail: nass-ny@nass.usda.gov
(518) 457-5570

Released January 2006
Seasonal
No. 987-1-06

NEW YORK POTATO STOCKS UP 44 PERCENT

Potato stocks held for all purposes on January 1, 2006 by New York growers, dealers, and processors totaled 2.30 million hundredweight (cwt.), up 44 percent from last year. The New York Agricultural Statistics Service estimated disappearance during the month of December at 800,000 cwt. compared with 700,000 cwt. a year earlier. Storage accounted for 44 percent of the 2005 potato production, up from last year's January 1 storage of 31 percent.

The 13 major potato States held 219 million cwt of potatoes in storage January 1, 2006, down 7 percent from last year and 6 percent below January 1, 2004, for comparable States. Ohio and Pennsylvania were dropped from the potato stocks program starting with the 2005 storage season. Potatoes in storage account for 59 percent of the 2005 fall storage States' production, unchanged from last year. Stocks by type were 2 percent red, 10 percent round white, 2 percent long white (Shepody), and 86 percent russets, with a smaller percentage of reds and long whites but a larger percentage of russets than a year ago for comparable States.

Eastern States stored 13.8 million cwt of potatoes on January 1, down 4 percent from last year for comparable States. Maine's potato sheds hold 10 percent less than last year, while New York's potato stocks increased 44 percent from a year ago.

Central States accounted for 49.5 million cwt of potato stocks on January 1, down 14 percent from last year for comparable States. Minnesota's potato stocks decreased 4 percent from last year, Wisconsin's stocks are down 7 percent from 2005, Nebraska's potato sheds stored 8 percent less than last season, and stocks in North Dakota are 35 percent below January 1, 2005. Michigan potato sheds stored 2 percent more than last year

Western States held 156 million cwt of potatoes in storage on January 1, down 5 percent from last year. Idaho's potato stocks are down 12 percent from last year, Colorado's potato sheds stored 11 percent less than in 2005, stocks in Montana are 3 percent below last season, and California's stocks decreased 43 percent from last year. Oregon's potato stocks are up 14 percent from last year and Washington's potato sheds stored 7 percent more than last season.

Disappearance of 154 million cwt from the start of harvest to January 1, is down 7 percent from last year for comparable States. Shrink and loss, at 16.2 million cwt, is down 14 percent from last year for comparable States.

Processors have used 81.7 million cwt of 2005 crop potatoes so far this season, down 5 percent from a year ago and 7 percent below 2 years ago. Both Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon, and Washington and the rest of Oregon total processing dropped 6 percent from last season. Dehydrating usage accounts for 16.0 million cwt of the total processing, down 14 percent from last year and 13 percent below the same date in 2004.

FALL POTATOES:  Production and Stocks on January 1, 2005-2006 ^1/