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

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

POTATOES

Released January 2007
Seasonal

No. 987-1-07

NEW YORK POTATO STOCKS DOWN 14 PERCENT

Potato stocks held for all purposes on January 1, 2007 by New York growers, dealers, and processors totaled 1.90 million hundredweight (cwt.), down 14 percent from last year.  The New York Agricultural Statistics Service estimated disappearance during the month of December at 900,000 cwt. compared with 800,000 cwt. a year earlier. Storage accounted for 33 percent of the 2006 potato production, down from last year's January 1 storage of 42 percent.

The 13 major potato States held 220 million cwt of potatoes in storage January 1, 2007, virtually unchanged from last year but 7 percent below January 1, 2005, for comparable States.  Ohio and Pennsylvania were dropped from the potato stocks program starting with the 2005 storage season.  Potatoes in storage account for 58 percent of the 2006 fall storage States' production, down 1 percentage point from last year.  Klamath Basin stocks were added to the potato stocks program starting with December 2006 and total 3.40 million cwt on January 1, 2007.  Klamath Basin includes California and Klamath County, Oregon potato stocks.

Disappearance of 162 million cwt from the start of harvest to January 1, is up 6 percent from last year.  Shrink and loss, at 16.1 million cwt, is up 7 percent from the previous year. 

Processors have used 88.5 million cwt of 2006 crop potatoes so far this season, up 9 percent from a year ago and 3 percent above 2 years ago.  Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon total processing increased 12 percent from a year ago, Maine's total processing was 26 percent above the same date in 2006, and Washington and the rest of Oregon total processing was up 3 percent from last season.  Dehydrating usage accounts for 16.5 million cwt of the total processing, up 5 percent from last year but 11 percent below the same date in 2005.

Western States held 151 million cwt of potatoes in storage on January 1, down 4 percent from last year.  Idaho's potato stocks are down 1 percent from last year, Washington's potato sheds held 9 percent less than last year, and Oregon's stocks declined 16 percent from last season.  Colorado potato sheds held 1 percent more stocks than last year, Montana's stocks are up 3 percent from 2006, and California's potato stocks increased 15 percent from last season.

Central States accounted for 54.1 million cwt of potato stocks on January 1, up 10 percent from last year.  Wisconsin's potato stocks increased 10 percent from last year, North Dakota's sheds held 30 percent more, Michigan stocks are up 6 percent, and potato stocks in Nebraska are 2 percent above last season.  Minnesota's potato stocks declined 4 percent from the same date in 2006.

Eastern States stored 14.9 million cwt of potatoes on January 1, up 11 percent from last year. Maine's potato sheds held 16 percent more than last year, while New York's potato stocks declined 14 percent from a year ago.

FALL POTATOES: Production and Stocks on January 1, 2006-2007 ^1/