USDA=NASS-NY NY March 2008 Potato Release 3-17-08

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

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

POTATO REPORT
March 2008

NEW YORK POTATO STOCKS DECREASE

Potato stocks, held for all purposes on March 1, 2008 by New York growers, dealers, and processors, totaled 700,000 hundredweight (cwt.), down 30 percent from last year according to Steve Ropel, Director of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office. Storage accounted for 13 percent of the 2007 potato production, down 5 percent from a year ago.

The 13 major potato States held 172 million cwt of potatoes in storage March 1, 2008, up 8 percent from last year and 10 percent above March 1, 2006. Potatoes in storage accounted for 43 percent of the 2007 fall storage States' production, up 2 percentage points from last year. Klamath Basin stocks totaled 2.05 million cwt on March 1, 2008, 7 percent lower than last year. Klamath Basin includes California and Klamath County, Oregon potato stocks.

Disappearance of 228 million cwt from the start of harvest to March 1 was down 1 percent from last year but up 4 percent from 2006. Shrink and loss, at 19.7 million cwt, was down 3 percent from the previous year but 7 percent above the same date in 2006.

Processors have used 123 million cwt of 2007 crop potatoes so far this season, down 3 percent from a year ago but 8 percent above 2 years ago. Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon total processing decreased 1 percent from a year ago, as did Maine's total processing. Washington and the rest of Oregon total processing was down 5 percent from last season. Dehydrating usage was 25.2 million cwt of the total processing, down 10 percent from last year but 11 percent above the same date in 2006.

Western States held 129 million cwt of potatoes in storage on March 1, up 13 percent from last year and 11 percent above 2006. Idaho's potato stocks were up 6 percent from last year; Washington's potato sheds held 40 percent more than last year; and Oregon's stocks increased 20 percent from last season. Montana's potato sheds held 6 percent more stocks than last year. California's and Colorado's potato stocks decreased 8 and 16 percent, respectively, from last year.

Central States accounted for 34.6 million cwt of potato stocks on March 1, down 3 percent from last year but 13 percent above the same date in 2006. Wisconsin's potato stocks were down 2 percent from last year; North Dakotas's sheds held 19 percent less; and potato stocks in Nebraska were 12 percent below last season. Minnesota's potato stocks increased 2 percent from the same date in 2007 and Michigan's potato sheds held 39 percent more than a year ago.

Eastern States stored 8.70 million cwt of potatoes on March 1, down 19 percent from last year and 9 percent below March 1, 2006. Maine's potato sheds held 18 percent less than last year, while New York's potato stocks declined 30 percent from a year ago.

State	Crop of 2007			Crop of 2008
State	Production	Stocks Feb. 1, 2007	Percent of Production	Production	Stocks Feb. 1, 2008	Percent of Production
	1,000 cwt.		Percent	1,000 cwt.		Percent

CA	3,870	1,200	31	4,223	1,100	26
CO	22,686	11,300	50	20,981	9,500	45
ID	128,915	59,500	46	131,650	63,000	48
ME	17,980	9,800	55	16,530	8,000	48
MI	14,190	3,300	23	14,700	4,600	31
MN	20,400	8,300	41	20,680	8,500	41
MT	3,518	3,100	88	3,696	3,300	89
NE	8,730	3,400	39	8,051	3,000	37
NY	5,700	1,000	18	5,216	700	13
ND	25,480	9,900	39	23,660	8,000	34
OR	18,533	9,700	52	20,238	11,600	57
WA	89,900	28,500	32	102,300	40,000	39
WI	29,370	10,700	36	28,160	10,500	37

13 States	389,272	159,700	41	400,085	171,800	43

Klamath Basin ²^/		2,200			2,050

1/ Stocks include processor holdings and most of the seed to plant following year's crop. Seed usage for all seasons in 2007 totaled 26.4 million cwt.
2/ Includes potato stocks in CA and Klamath Co. OR.