2004 New York Potato Value Down

The results of the 2004 potato disposition and utilization survey show the value of New York's 2004 potato crop to be $42.8 million, 32 percent below the 2003 value, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York office.

Production was down 20 percent from 2003 and is a record low production. Sales decreased 29 percent but the average price per hundredweight (cwt.) was $8.25, or $.90 less than the 2003 price of $9.65.

FALL POTATOES: Production, farm disposition, season average price, and value,

New York and United States, 2003-2004

	Production	Used for seed	Farm Disposition Used on Farm		Sold	Price per cwt.	Value of
	Production	Used for seed	Seed, feed, household use	Shrinkage and loss	Sold	Price per cwt.	Production	Sales
			1,000 cwt.			Dollars	1,000 dollars
2003
N.Y.	6,510	440	100	520	5,890	9.65	62,822	52,839
U.S.	410,588	23,387	5,254	33,579	371,755	5.23	2,149,570	1,943,986

2004
N.Y.	5,184	451	100	513	4,571	8.25	42,768	37,711
U.S.	410,253	21,639	4,549	35,923	369,781	5.08	2,090,058	1,877,912

2004 U.S. ALL POTATO PRODUCTION DOWN FRACTIONALLY

Total 2004 potato production is estimated at 456 million cwt., down fractionally from the estimate made in the January Annual Crop Summary and less than 1 percent below the 2003 crop. Harvested area, at 1.17 million acres, decreased 7 percent from a year ago. The average yield of 391 cwt. per acre is up 24 cwt. from 2003 and 29 cwt. above the average yield from the 2002 crop. This is a record high yield, 10 cwt. above the previous record set in 2000.

Value of all potatoes sold in 2004 is estimated at $2.34 billion, down 5 percent from the previous year. The average price, at $5.67 per cwt., is down $0.22 from a year earlier.

Sales from the 2004 potato crop totaled 414 million cwt., down 1 percent from 2003. Sales account for 91 percent of 2004 production. Non-sales account for 42.2 million cwt., 3 percent above the previous year. Over the past five years, 91 percent of the potatoes grown have been sold. The other 9 percent were either lost (shrinkage and loss) or used on farms where grown (seed, home use, and livestock feed).

Processors used 259 million cwt. of raw potatoes from the 2004 crop, up 1 percent from a year earlier. Table stock sales totaled 130 million cwt., 2 percent below the previous year. Seed sales of 22.9 million cwt. are down 7 percent from 2003. Sales for livestock feed, at 1.94 million cwt., are down 3 percent from a year earlier.

ALL POTATOES: Utilization of Crops, United States, 2001-2004

Utilization Items	2001	2002	2003	2004
	1,000 cwt.
Sales
Table Stock	122,552	131,889	133,143	130,418

Processing	54,080	51,640	52,790	50,068
Chips and Shoestrings	40,759	51,357	48,418	48,527
Dehydration 1/	126,711	124,875	126,515	131,592
Frozen French Fries	23,598	28,951	23,870	23,003
Other Frozen Products	2,590	2,744	3,086	2,843
Canned Products
Other Canned Products	1,722	2,089	1,168	998
(Hash, Stews, Soups)	1,722	2,089	1,168	998
Starch, Flour, and Other	1,015	1,050	1,379	1,531
Total	250,475	262,706	257,226	258,562

Other Sales
Livestock Feed	3,496	3,044	2,005	1,942
Seed	24,537	24,005	24,603	22,915

Total	28,033	27,049	26,608	24,857

Total Sales	401,060	421,644	416,977	413,837

Non-Sales
Seed Used on Farms Where Grown	4,088	4,144	4,000	3,614
Household Use and Used for Feed on Farms Where Grown	1,298	1,478	1,543	1,182

Shrinkage and Loss 2/	31,227	30,905	35,294	37,408

Total Non-Sales	36,613	36,527	40,837	42,204

TOTAL PRODUCTION	437,673	458,171	457,814	456,041

1/ Dehydrated products except starch and flour. 2/ Includes potatoes disposed of by the United Fresh Potato Growers of Idaho for 2004.

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