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Released February 18, 2003

Seasonal

No. 987-2-03

NEW YORK POTATO STOCKS

Potato stocks, held for all purposes on February 1, 2003 by New York growers, dealers, and processors, totaled 1.10 million hundredweight (cwt.), up 10 percent from a year ago. The New York Agricultural Statistics Service estimated disappearance in January 2003 at 700 thousand cwt., 40 percent above last year's disappearance of 500 thousand cwt. Storage accounted for 20 percent of the 2002 potato production, up 3 points from a year ago.

The 15 major potato States held 197 million cwt. of potatoes on February 1, 2003, up 3 percent from last year but 16 percent below 2001. Storage accounts for 48 percent of the 2002 fall storage State's production, down 2 percentage points from last year. Stocks by type are 3 percent red, 9 percent round white, 2 percent long white (Shepody), and 86 percent russet. There are more reds and round whites but fewer long whites and russets than a year ago.

Eastern States stored 11.5 million cwt. of potatoes on February 1, up 5 percent from last year but 15 percent below the 2000 crop. Maine's stocks are up 7 percent from a year ago, while Pennsylvania's have dropped 15 percent from last year.

Central States account for 42.3 million cwt. of potato stocks this February 1, down 6 percent from last year and 14 percent below two years ago. North Dakota's stocks dropped 23 percent, Minnesota slipped 4 percent, and Wisconsin is down 2 percent from a year earlier. Potato stocks in Nebraska are up 22 percent from last year, Michigan is up 15 percent, and Ohio's small remainder is double last year's level.

Western States held 144 million cwt. of potatoes in storage on February 1, up 5 percent from last year but 16 percent below two years ago. Idaho's potato stocks are up 7 percent from last year and Colorado's are up 36 percent. California's stocks are 63 percent above last year and Montana's are up 10 percent. Washington's potato stocks are equal to last year, while Oregon's storage is down 14 percent.

Disappearance, at 213 million cwt., from the start of harvest to February 1, is up 9 percent from the same period last year but 5 percent below two years ago. January disappearance was 34.7 million cwt., up 7 percent from a year ago but 15 percent below two years ago. Shrink and loss, at 20.4 million cwt., is up 3 percent from last year but 22 percent below two years ago.

Processors used 109 million cwt. of 2002 crop potatoes so far this season, up 13 percent from a year ago but 4 percent below two years ago. January usage of 16.3 million cwt. is 2 percent above last year but 9 percent below two years ago. Dehydrators used 23.7 million cwt. to date.

FALL POTATOES: Production and Stocks on February 1, 2002-2003 1/

State	Crop of 2001			Crop of 2002
	Production	Stocks Feb. 1, 2002	Percent of Production	Production	Stocks Feb. 1, 2003	Percent of Production
	1,000 cwt.		Percent	1,000 cwt.		Percent
CA	1,424	800	56	4,450	1,300	29
CO	21,357	11,000	52	27,885	15,000	54
ID	120,200	68,000	57	133,385	72,500	54
ME	16,430	8,900	54	16,960	9,500	56
MI	13,950	4,800	34	13,878	5,500	40
MN	18,425	9,500	52	18,700	9,100	49
MT	3,296	2,630	80	3,224	2,900	90
NE	8,400	3,200	38	8,611	3,900	45
NY	5,942	1,000	17	5,500	1,100	20
ND	26,400	14,500	55	23,460	11,200	48
OH	1,097	60	5	1,008	120	12
OR	20,730	14,000	68	24,936	12,000	48
PA	3,173	1,000	32	2,590	850	33
WA	94,400	40,000	42	95,200	40,000	42
WI	31,955	12,800	40	31,125	12,500	40
15 States	387,179	192,190	50	410,912	197,470	48
1/  Stocks include processor holdings and most of the seed to plant following year's crop.  Seed usage for all seasons in 2002 totaled 29.3 million cwt.

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